Sweet dreams COMPLETE!
by Yo-yo
Summary: Sophia starts going through the Change, but doesn't tell anyone... *Chpt. 21 up* FINISHED!
1. Not Even the Beginning

.Sweet dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake, and if I did, it wouldn't matter now, those damn bastards are canceling it!  
  
A/N: hey this is my first wolf lake fic ever! Please don't gripe about how it is from the real story line and stuff. I've only seen like two episodes, and was hoping the reruns would come on this summer so I could watch the show, but those damn suits ruined my plans! I've read every fic on this couple and I really like their hesitations, it makes so much sense. This is just a rough draft, I want some feedback on it before I fix it up and decide to add other chapters. This is the first time I've ever posted something completely raw online, usually I'm over-compulsive about it and edit it like ten times before I figure it's perfect enough to be online ready. I've already figured I gotta' change the title, but I don't know to what yet, so if I do continue, and you're not sure, just look me up, but I'm not in the directory, makes me want to cry! Boo hoo! So tell me what you think, if I get no feedback, then I chuck this idea. Please don't make me do it, I really like this show, and the fics are all really good, I don't want to have to stop if no one cares. ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!!! BRING WOLF LAKE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
.Sweet dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
Pulling her hair in a ponytail, she let out a much needed sigh.  
  
Last night was horrible. Between fits of muscle cramps and spasms, she could hardly sleep. When her body finally settled down enough to finally close her eyes, the dream lay just behind her eyelids, haunting her yet again. This had been happening for weeks, and each night the pain grew more intense. Face smuggled against a pillow, sock stuffed in her mouth, and eyes squeezed close in frustration, she stifled the sound of herself screaming out in pain. Once, she'd even woken to find her father hovered over her as she struggled in her dreams.  
  
He'd asked her what was she dreaming about. She lied to him.  
  
It wasn't that she didn't trust him, but if he knew she was going to flip, everything would be lost. All his dreams for her- college, a career, seeing the world- all those dreams would be shattered.  
  
No one knew. She'd kept this a secret from everyone, her father, Sherman, and even the infamous Luke Cates.  
  
Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she grabbed her book bag and bolted out the door.  
  
It seemed her lack of sleep had direct correlation to her internal clock because she found herself sliding into her seat a minute before the bell rang.  
  
"It's nice of you to join us." Ms. Avery sneered smugly.  
  
Looking away, she sighed inwardly. She hated thinking so early in the morning. Why did they have to give her Algebra first period instead of Art?  
  
"What's up with you?" Jamie whispered behind her.  
  
"Couldn't sleep, I feel like shit." She sighed again grabbing the huge tablet deemed her Algebra book.  
  
"There's a party at Jake's, wanna' come? We could go stag together?"  
  
"James, as much as I would love to be hit on by drunken dickheads, I've got a late shift tonight."  
  
"You work too hard, you're only a teen ya' know."  
  
"I like being independent. I don't always have to ask Daddy for money when I need a new outfit!"  
  
"Anyways." Jamie grinned opening the book to page 301.  
  
"So I was thinking, maybe we could have a sleepover at my place Friday?"  
  
She didn't look up. "I don't know, I've been really sick lately. It's like really bad morning sickness, only at night and I'm still a virgin."  
  
"Now that we know the truth about Ms. Donner, may we please get back to Algebra?" Ms. Avery announced.  
  
She didn't look up, but she could feel everyone's eyes burrowing in her. As she stared extra hard in the Algebra book, she could feel her face burning with embarrassment. She wanted to hide under a rock as she heard the snickers and laughs from her classmates.  
  
Suddenly, as if her knight in shining armor, a dark figure came dashing into the classroom breathlessly.  
  
"Mr. Cates, you've finally found the classroom!" Ms. Avery clapped.  
  
Luke, giving one of his cocky grins, let his eyes roam over the classroom. Briefly his eyes stopped on hers. Winking seductively and puckering his lips in a mock kiss, he grinned at her.  
  
Rolling her eyes, they returned to her book.  
  
"You've got no chance," an elusive voice called out, "she's still a virgin!"  
  
The whole class roared in laughter as she shielded her burning face with her book.  
  
Cates looked at the masked girl with a confused look. *What was the inside joke?* Standing there before the teacher, he for once didn't recognize the fuel for the fire of their laughter.  
  
"Take your seat Cates."  
  
~***~ She looked like shit! Well, not really, she never could. But she looked.tired.  
  
Her big chocolate-kissed eyes with the beautiful flecks of gold were now dimmed and unfocused. As usual, she wore no make up, yet the healthy pink undertone of her skin was gone, leaving her strangely pale. Her long, burnt umber tresses, pulled away from her face seemed to have lost its luster, and the unnoticeable hints of honey-brown highlights were starting to reveal themselves. She didn't even seem to have bothered this morning. She only wore shapeless pajama pants and her Dad's old WLSD hoodie.  
  
He watched as she trudged through each of her classes, lethargy bowing her body. As the teacher's droned on about trivial information, he could feel the far away look of her eyes as her mind drifted into oblivion. Even at lunch she barely ate, only picking at her food and sighing inwardly.  
  
As his eyes watched her melancholy demeanor, his heart ached to know what was going on in her head.  
  
Sophia Donner, daughter of the town's sheriff, mattered a lot more to him than he'd wished to admit. When they were younger, they were inseparable. Running through the yard together and causing terror for their parents, they were always together. In grade school they did homework and projects together, everyone knew that they were best friends. But as soon as they hit high school, things began to change.  
  
Soon he'd traded his best friend for his "alpha" status. He'd given up on trying to make her part of the pack. All the kids knew that she was a half-breed, and it kept her isolated from their kind. As the years passed, he saw how hard things were for her. She didn't belong; she wasn't like the rest. Although the wolf's blood coursed throughout her veins, the human took over her mind, restraining the wolf from ever emerging. When they hit puberty he hoped that she would Change, hoped that she would eventually become like them, wolf. But she never did, always having to make human friends, people who would never get to truly know her, truly understand her.  
  
And now she was sixteen, her last year to change, making everyone in the town anxious, her Dad, Sherman, his Mom.especially him.  
  
~***~ Turning the key in the large glass door, she gave a reassuring tug before pulling down the long shade. Stepping outside into the night air, she took a deep breath. Tonight was perfect. It was one of those warm days when the perfect breeze swept throughout the town, gently caressing anything in its path. Locking the heavy deadbolt, she pushed the door once more before telling herself that she'd done everything she was supposed to.  
  
Turning around, her long strident scream echoed throughout the town's abandoned streets.  
  
"Damn Cates!" she gasped trying desperately to calm herself.  
  
"Are you always this jumpy?" he smirked, his green eyes twinkling in the soft lights.  
  
"Don't sneak up on me like that." She cried, her voice a little shaky.  
  
"Can I walk you home?"  
  
Her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized him.  
  
"C'mon, I won't bite."  
  
This time, an eyebrow shot up in speculation.  
  
"No pun intended." He smiled.  
  
"If I say no, will that stop you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"As you wish then." She sighed starting off towards home.  
  
As they silently marched through the abandoned streets of Wolf Lake, they stared at the sidewalk. Luke secretly marveled the way the concrete mirrored the dark sky, having been watered down by the day's afternoon shower. The way the streetlamps pooled over one spot, illuminating it as if pure gold. The poetry of the night and whispering wind, mixed with the knowledge that Sophia walked beside him renewed his love of nature.  
  
"So, um. how's life?"  
  
"Just peachy!" she replied sarcastically.  
  
"It's just.we haven't talked lately. Remember when we were younger and we used to freak out my mom by climbing the huge oak in the front yard to the roof?"  
  
She laughed. "She used to yell at us for hours whenever we did that."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"We used to promise her we wouldn't do it again, but there we'd be the next week, sitting on the couch pretending to listen to another of her lectures."  
  
"No, I mean what happened to us?" he asked grabbing her arm, forcing her to halt.  
  
Not looking at him, she shrugged. "Puberty, I guess."  
  
"Why don't you look at me anymore?"  
  
"Do you always expect girls to look at you?" she grinned, trying desperately to make a joke.  
  
He sighed heavily, obviously indicating that she'd failed. "Something's changed, and I don't know how to make it right."  
  
"Nothing's changed," she sighed, "we've just.we've just grown."  
  
"But things have changed," he whispered, "Even your scent is changing."  
  
"What?" she gasped, afraid that she'd heard him right.  
  
"Your scent, it used to be a light touch of van-." he glanced up quickly to see her staring back at him wide-eyed. ".Well. you used to smell different."  
  
They both began walking again, not speaking as thoughts whirled around in their minds. Finally after a long silence Sophia whispered,  
  
"You know my scent?"  
  
Her voice was softer than a breath, but he heard it.  
  
A smile crept up his perfect lips. "Yeah, I've known your scent since we were three and running naked outside in the sprinklers."  
  
The corners of her mouth drew up in a faint smile as she glanced at him, "I don't know what you're talking about, that was not me!"  
  
"Don't lie," he grinned, "it doesn't suit you. Plus, I can prove it."  
  
"Oh really?" she laughed skeptically.  
  
"Yeah, on your cute left cheek you've got the tiniest birth mark in the shape of a heart!"  
  
Her eyes grew wide a she turned to him. Suddenly she began pounding his chest with her fists. "You will not tell anyone you know about that! If you do, you'll definitely regret it!" she threatened.  
  
"What are you gunna' do, punish me?" he laughed, something naughty twinkling in his eyes.  
  
"I'll take you to my friend Jamie's house, and I'll make you listen to all her N'sync cds!"  
  
"No!" he cried in mock terror.  
  
"So, what is it?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Today, you were really out of it. You didn't even pretend that you cared. You didn't even eat today."  
  
"You've been watching me?"  
  
He didn't say anything as he felt the blush creep up his face.  
  
"So, are you my official stalker now?"  
  
"Sophie, I'm really worried about you." He cried exasperated.  
  
She looked up at him again, another smile tickling at the corners of her mouth.  
  
"Thanks. No one except my Dad has ever been worried about me. It's nice to know that at least someone kinda' cares."  
  
"Sophie, it's not a half way thing. I DO care about you. So, what's been up?" he asked seriously.  
  
"I haven't been getting much sleep."  
  
"Homework?" he asked, a tingle of concern tainting his voice.  
  
"Nightmares." She replied looking away.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"I can't remember." She lied; the tone of her voice confirming it.  
  
It wasn't that she couldn't trust Luke, but again, if he knew, she wasn't sure how he'd react.  
  
"Is there anything I can do?" he offered stopping before her house.  
  
"No, but don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm sure that I'll be over it in a matter of days."  
  
"I hope that you're right." He smiled.  
  
"Yeah," she sighed, "I'm gunna' go now, see ya' tomorrow."  
  
Turning, she began walking to her front door.  
  
"Hey Sophie!" he called out causing her to stop and spin around to face him. ".About that comment today in Algebra. I've always known that you were a virgin, and that's one of the things I admire about you. You don't let people control you, and that makes you independent and undamaged. I hope that someday when you meet your soul mate that he's the first and only person to be with you like that because you're too good for a quick fuck.  
  
"Sophia Donner, you're special, and I'm not trying to be cocky. Ever since you were younger, there's always been something about you. You're not like anyone in this damned town. Don't compromise yourself, ever! I hope that the guy that you choose for your mate sees how important you truly are, if he doesn't drop him, there's something about you that makes it impossible to settle. Sacred Moon has something great for you planned, and someone great for you to share your greatness with.  
  
"Remember who you are Sophie, don't ever forget. Never forget who you are and where you came from. You're Sacred Moon's precious daughter, the most beautiful of them all."  
  
She blinked for a moment, still gazing at him as though star struck. Then suddenly a broad smile stretched her lips, softening her features.  
  
*There she is!* Luke smiled seeing the old Sophia Donner.  
  
Before she had time to react, he came jogging to her and crushed her against his chest in a tight hug. She stood there a moment, absorbing the warmth radiating from his body. She liked the way this felt, the way that they fit together. It was as if his body was curved especially for her, like puzzle pieces. Curve to curve.  
  
A tear slipped down her cheek, soon followed by many more. Sniffling, she tried to control the flow of emotion, but inevitably failed.  
  
Luke pulled back and looked at her face. She looked like a lost child, searching for a place to belong; like a lone wolf, searching for a place in the whole scheme of life. He didn't realize how close he was to the actual truth.  
  
Placing a kiss to her forehead, he whispered against her skin, "Sweet dreams."  
  
Nodding slightly, she turned and headed for the front door, never once looking back as she entered.  
  
Turning towards his own house, Luke sighed, praying to Sacred Moon that he could be her soul mate. Praying that they'd be mates for life.  
  
  
  
TBC.  
  
A/N: hope that you really like this one, because I really want to keep going with Wolf Lake. I just find it really hard to describe the primal feelings of the wolf. You can tell in this chapter, I kinda' shied away from that subject, but the next chapter, if it comes up will go into a deeper depth of their relationship, his status, and their inevitable love. 


	2. Secret Revealed

.Sweet Dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake. but I do own my hairbrush. that's something!  
  
A/N: thanks for the great reviews I got from uz guys; it was nice. This one's kinda' long, so I split it up into two. There's nothing much I gotta' say this time, I still haven't chosen a new name, but I'm thinking. Oh, and about the meatboy thing and the Sacred Moon, there's this book that uz should read by Annette Curtis Klause. It's called Blood and Chocolate. It's about this young werewolf, Vivian, and how she meets this meatboy, human, and falls for him when everyone doesn't want her to. It's a really good book though, and the author is really good at descriptions. I wish I could write like her. I know I sound like a plug, but if you like Wolf Lake, you will definitely love that book. It's on Amazon.com if you want to know. Oh, and if you've got any suggestions for me about my writing, you can e- mail at yobear2k@hotmail.com, put the title in the subject box so I don't chuck it as fake mail. Thanks, now you can read. ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BRING WOLF LAKE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
.Sweet Dreams II  
  
Letting the throaty yawn rumble throughout her small frame, she looked out the window. It was still dark outside; dawn's little fingers had barely began crawling over the horizon.  
  
She gazed at the breathtaking sight, wondering if the beauty stolen from her eyes were real. Tearing her eyes away from the incredible sight, she looked at the digital clock beside her bed. The large neon green lights read 5: 30.  
  
It was five-thirty in the morning.  
  
"Morning," she smiled.  
  
There was no other word that felt so good to her lips. Never has one word felt so good to utter. For so long she'd dreaded the night and the dreams that woke her during the night soaking in sweat. She worried about when her fight would end and her body would betray her by closing her eyes, opening the portal to that terrifying world once again.  
  
Wiping her sweat-drenched face with the back of her hand, she squeezed the tube of purple paint with the other. Dipping the paintbrush in the thick color, she began to smear it on the canvass at a predestined spot. She saw as the idea in her mind began to unfold into this odd painting. Although the muscle cramps and spasms had occurred tonight, along with the splitting pains in her head and the uncontrollable screams of anguish, nothing could disrupt the creativity bursting from her arm, and consuming the once blank canvass.  
  
All her fears were erased as she let her arm work on it's own accord, never questioning what was developing on this flat plane. Her body calmed and went with the flow, enjoying the soft tingle under her skin as she let the creativity take over her body.  
  
She worked diligently until the sudden scream of System of a Down's "Toxicity" came from the radio.  
  
Stepping up from the desk, she trudged to her bathroom, not even bothering to close the door behind her. Staring up at her reflection in the mirror, she smiled. Sure she looked like shit, weeks of no sleep would do that to a person, but the streaks of blue, black, purple and red were a little of a surprise.  
  
Pulling out the bottle of Listerine, she washed her mouth then pulled out her toothbrush and began the morning routine. When she'd finally stripped off her tank and pajama pants, she stepped into the steaming hot shower, awakening those senses that didn't have to endure the pain of those vivid dreams.  
  
Drying off and exiting the bathroom, she began to dress for another day of trivial knowledge. Pulling on a red t-shirt and a pair of jeans, she searched the cluttered room for her shoes.  
  
Ever since these dreams began, she'd found it increasingly hard to concentrate, which also seemed to compromise her organizational skills.  
  
Finally finding them underneath her bed, she pulled on the shoes and began searching the chamber for a hair scrunchie.  
  
"Sophia," her father called from just behind her door.  
  
"Yeah Dad?" she asked pulling her hair into a long braided ponytail.  
  
Opening the door, he came in. "What would you like for breakfast?"  
  
Her stomach grumbled. She groaned inwardly. As much as she would give to have a bacon waffle with warm maple syrup and little bacon bits sprinkled across the top, a cheese omelet on the side, and a French vanilla coffee with a mound of whip cream decorating the top, from last night's wretch fest in her bathroom, she knew that food wasn't a good idea.  
  
"Nothing Dad, I'll get something at school." She lied.  
  
"You haven't been eating lately." He stated.  
  
"I have." She lied again.  
  
"You're getting thinner, I want you to start eating more. I don't like the look of you." He said before turning to leave the room.  
  
She watched as her Dad left, pondering his words in her head. He was right; she was getting thinner. Her body couldn't adjust to the changes as well as everyone else could. When Luke was going through the Change, he hadn't suffered for as long, or as hard as she.  
  
Grabbing her backpack and leaving, she pushed all thoughts of Luke Cates out of her head. She'd spent so much times thinking about what he'd said that night last week that his words began to lose all meaning. He was so sweet, telling her that she was innocent and beautiful and meant a lot to him, but also telling her, without words that no matter what, they could never be together. He may have never said those words, but the whole speech about her soul mate sure did the job. He'd basically told her that there was some guy out there for her, and it wasn't him, so she'd have to go looking for Prince Charming.  
  
The sad thing was, that she wished it were him. Luke Cates may have been an incorrigible flirt, with only one thing on his mind, but there was so much more to him. He was assertive, strong, caring, carefree, protective, and the truest Luke he could be. He risked everything for those that he loved. Whenever he loved someone, it was with the deepest part of his heart. He loved them with the most precious part of his soul, wanting to protect them with his whole being, never abandoning them in their time of need. That was one of the reasons why he'd make a great Alpha, loving his people beyond the boundaries of the world.  
  
Shaking Luke Cates out of her head, she sat in her seat for Algebra, and pulled out her book, ready for another day of learning stuff she'd never use now that she was bound to this backwards town forever.  
  
  
  
~***~  
  
He sat in the back of the class watching her as he felt her mind wander away from the lackluster chamber, to the unknown. What could possible be happening to her to make her so. uninterested in the things she used to find exciting.  
  
For as long as he'd known her, one of her greatest ambitions was to see the world in its entirety, and touch the earth with her fingers. She was fascinated at how people lived away from technology and the Christian god. She wanted to visit the elephant orphanage in Kenya, and the beautiful mosques of Turkey. She wanted to witness a Tea Ceremony in Japan and eat in the quaint little bistros of Paris. She wanted to climb the mountains of Tibet and sleep under the six months of darkness in Siberia. She wanted to witness with her own eyes what those documentaries on Global Trekker revealed to her.  
  
When she'd finally gotten the chance to see the world with her own eyes, she'd declined. He didn't understand it. Why did she run when the world that she'd always wanted was opened to her? Was she afraid? Was the thought of leaving her Father alone for three months too much for her? Why didn't she just go?  
  
  
  
~***~  
  
"Why are you walking me home now, the sun's still out?" she sighed.  
  
"I told you, I'm worried."  
  
"Where's the brat pack? Shouldn't you be instructing them to rob a liquor store? Or at least you should be screwing Prestley on top of someone's car in the school parking lot?"  
  
Ignoring her comment, he looked at her. "Are you still having those nightmares?"  
  
"Obviously." She sighed looking up at him with bags under her eyes.  
  
"Yeah, you do look like shit." He grinned at his own joke.  
  
"Boy Cates, you really know how to make a girl feel good about herself. Wow, I feel like a million bucks!"  
  
"You know what I mean." He smiled.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"So, um, what are you doing Friday night?"  
  
"Got a date."  
  
This time he stopped, his rage bubbled throughout him, making him look undeniably dangerous.  
  
"With who?"  
  
"Scott." She replied stopping too.  
  
"Who's Scott?" he asked, his voice dangerously low.  
  
"You don't know him." She shrugged.  
  
"Is he a meatboy?"  
  
"A human, yes."  
  
"You can't go out with him."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because.because." he was searching for a reason in his head.  
  
"Ooo, because! Let me call him up right now and break it off with him. When he asks why, I'll say.because!" she said sarcastically.  
  
"Because you're one of us and it's against our rules to mate with the other kind."  
  
"First of all, it's a date, nobody said anything about mating. Second of all, I'm a half-breed; there is no guarantee that I'm going to Change. I'm not one of you Luke, no matter how much you wish you had me under your control. I'm human, and there's nothing you can do about it."  
  
"You cannot go out with him!" he demanded.  
  
"Who in the hell do you think you are? I'm not one of your dick-less brat pack friends. I have my own mind! You are not Alpha over me, and therefore have no jurisdiction. I can go out with whoever I want!"  
  
"Sophia, I forbid you to see him!"  
  
"Ooo, another one of those words, forbid! What's with you? Why are you going all caveman on me? It can't be that you're jealous; you've got so many girls on your string that you shouldn't even remember my name. So what is it, what's got you so protective of something that isn't even yours?"  
  
*Oh how I wished you were!* Luke sighed wishing his lips could say what his heart did.  
  
"He's trying to get in your pants!" he offered.  
  
"Cates, he's not you! Plus he asked me out way before this whole virgin thing."  
  
"Every teenage guy wants to get in your pants, especially now that you've announced that you're a virgin."  
  
"That's so sick." She frowned turning away from him. "You don't even know him."  
  
"I know what he's thinking."  
  
"Too bad you don't know what I'm thinking, but don't worry, I'm gunna' spell it out for you. I don't get you Cates. One minute your preaching to me about how you care about me and wish me the best, and the next minute you're forbidding me from seeing a guy that I really like. You say you want me to be happy, but you don't want me to be happy with a meat- human. I'm not one of you, and I don't know why you're so set on putting me there? I thought you were my friend, I thought you understood my predicament? I guess you're just like those mindless friends of yours that you think for. I thought you would---"  
  
"What?" he yelled upset.  
  
Then she let out a strangled cry as she clutched her stomach. Her eyes clenched shut in pain as she began to double over.  
  
"Sophia, what is it?" he asked, the rage in his voice gone now, leaving only concern.  
  
She grabbed his shoulder, her fingers digging into him painfully. Placing her forehead on the same shoulder, she tried to take deep breaths to calm down, but they only came out in screams.  
  
It felt as if her stomach was ripping apart. In reality it was shifting, turning to accommodate her changing body.  
  
"What is it?" he repeated.  
  
"I'm on my period!" she lied through the pain.  
  
"No you're not. I can smell when you're menstruating. Don't lie to me! Now what's wrong?" he demanded.  
  
"It feels like my stomach is trying to strangle itself." She gasped.  
  
Something snapped- the nightmares, the cramps, the change in her scent, and her demeanor- there was only one reason why all of this was happening:  
  
"You're Changing aren't you?" he asked softly.  
  
"N-yes!" she screamed, her hand clutching her side.  
  
"C'mon, I gotta' get you somewhere."  
  
"I.I can't.aah!" she screamed.  
  
Catching her by surprise, he lifted her into his arms effortlessly. "Put your arms around my neck!" he ordered.  
  
"But it hurts so much." She gasped, the pain intensifying.  
  
"Listen to me." He repeated.  
  
This time she obeyed, placing her head on his shoulder, trying to control her breathing.  
  
"You're body's trying to adjust to your Change. I know it hurts really bad now, but after you've changed, it'll all be over. You won't have to go through this again."  
  
She didn't say anything as a whimper escaped her lips.  
  
"I'm taking you to my house, ok?"  
  
She nodded slightly, nuzzling her face in the hallow of his neck.  
  
Walking into his house, he headed straight for his room. Laying her gently on the bed, he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry, the feeling will pass." He whispered gently pushing the hair away from her eyes.  
  
"Thank you." She moaned clutching her stomach.  
  
Lying there for a moment, she looked into his emerald green eyes; mesmerized by the way they changed like facets of a diamond as a new emotion consumed him. When they were talking about Scott they were the color of hunter's green. But now as he leaned over her, caressing the side of her face with his rough, slightly calloused hands, they were the color of a sour apple, just as the sun began to set, illuminating them to an almost greenish gold.  
  
A smile illuminated his features as he looked at her lying in his bed. She seemed so innocent, so helpless and vulnerable. The agony had never left her face as the pain consumed her, yet she fought it. She stared into his eyes, not speaking, just needing the feel of him before her to sustain this beautiful moment.  
  
Suddenly she jumped up from the bed, pushing him aside and ran into the bathroom. Following behind her, he watched as she wretched in the toilet.  
  
Rubbing her back in slow circles, he leaned over her. "What did you throw up?"  
  
"N-nothing," she gasped for breath, "I haven't eaten in days."  
  
After she'd finally stopped, he pulled her to him. "C'mon, let's get you in bed."  
  
Following behind him, she closed her eyes. Helping her into bed, he watched as she pulled herself into the fetal position. Sliding in behind her, his body pressed closely to hers, spooning her. Her body was tense against his, as she held her stomach, which was still twisting excruciatingly.  
  
"Here, let me do that." He whispered.  
  
Wrapping his arms around her body, he gently grasped her stomach and began to firmly knead it. As he massaged her stomach, he felt her muscles begin to relax. Soon she was untangled from the tight position and simply lying in his arms.  
  
He listened as her breathing slowed down and evened out. Every so often, he could hear a soft hiss escape her.  
  
"Feel better?" He whispered against her skin.  
  
"Mmmhmm." She nodded slightly.  
  
As he lay there beside her, he could feel her body mold into his as she relaxed. Soon all was heard was the methodical rhythm of her breathing. As he nuzzled closer to her, he knew she was asleep.  
  
  
  
~***~  
  
Her eyes scanned the perimeter as she looked for any sign of anyone at home. Scaling around the back, she peeked through the window and found him lying on his bed, his back facing her.  
  
"Luke, wake up." She hissed through the opened window.  
  
He didn't even stir.  
  
"Wake up." She said climbing through this window into the small chamber.  
  
"Go away." He moaned, flicking his hand as if she was a fly, then returning them to their previous position.  
  
Suddenly she saw it. Lying beside him was a young girl. From her long, brown hair to her soft vanilla scent, this was a girl she knew all too well.  
  
"What is she doing here? And why are you in bed with her?" she yelled.  
  
Both Luke and Sophia woke up with a start. Turning as one, they looked at the outraged Prestley.  
  
"Prestley, what are you doing here?" he asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  
  
"What is she doing here?" she repeated.  
  
"None of your damn business." He replied, his voice dangerously low.  
  
"Are you sleeping with her?" she asked, choosing to ignore the anger in his voice.  
  
"Obviously." He cried. "Now can you please go away?"  
  
"She's not one of us, you can't be with her." She argued.  
  
"Who in the hell are you to tell me what I can or can't do? I can do whatever I want and it's none of your damn business."  
  
"I never thought you'd run with your tail between your legs for a half- breed." She spat.  
  
"What did you say?" he asked this time jumping out of bed.  
  
Standing over her, proud and eminent, he watched as she cowered beneath him. Her blue eyes, once filled with jealous anger, now fell to the ground. He could see the embarrassment rise in her face reaching her scalp as she moved back a step. He felt the change in her scent as the jealousy faded and she stood there ashamed.  
  
"N-nothing." She mumbled.  
  
"You did say something." he whispered, his voice dangerous, "Now apologize to Sophia for waking her up."  
  
She didn't look at him, but he could smell her anger rising.  
  
"No, Luke, she doesn't have to do that." Sophia said behind him  
  
Turning, he looked at her with eyes now lightened to hazel. "She will apologize." He said softly, yet firmly.  
  
Their eyes held firmly as Prestley mumbled something under her breath and left out the way she came.  
  
"Damn coward." He whispered referring to Prestley.  
  
"Did you really expect her to face you? You didn't have to make her do that." She whispered back.  
  
"I'm Alpha, she had no right to say that about me or you. It had nothing to do with the pack. It was common courtesy. She had no right to talk so rudely. No matter who it had been, I would have made her apologize."  
  
"Well thanks anyway." She sighed.  
  
Climbing into the bed again, he wrapped his arms around her, still looking in her eyes. Her big chocolate-kissed eyes with the beautiful flecks of gold stared back into his, and her lips were drawn into a small smile.  
  
"Hey you." He grinned back.  
  
A laugh tumbled out her mouth as his now green eyes twinkled. "Are you on you're period? 'Cuz you seem to switch moods like the rest of them!"  
  
"Ha ha." He smirked.  
  
"It's nice to know that you've adopted my philosophy. After I tried to beat it in your head for weeks, you've finally grasped it with only one confrontation with Prestley."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"And I repeat, 'Who in the hell are you to tell me what I can or can't do? I can do whatever I want and it's none of your damn business'." She laughed.  
  
"It still doesn't work in your case, but for mine, it's perfect."  
  
"So why did you blow off Prestley? She came in here like it was a normal thing?" she asked, suddenly becoming serious again.  
  
"Do you know how beautiful you are when you sleep?" he muttered changing the subject, the smile still tickling his lips.  
  
"No." she smiled disarmingly, gently nuzzling into his shoulder. "I can't exactly see myself with my eyes closed, but you can describe it to me."  
  
His smile grew bigger as she tried to move even closer to him, breathing in his shoulder. Gently rubbing her back, he began to describe it to her. "Well, your soft lips lift gently at the corners in a smile, as if you're thinking of something mischievous, and the thin skin of your eyelids can hardly shield the delight you get from that great dream you're dreaming, and."  
  
He couldn't erase the smile from his face as he reveled in the feeling of her body pressed against his. He loved the feeling of her so close to him, so near to his heart. He held her closer to him, praying that this wasn't the last time that he'd get to hold her like this, in the way that he'd wanted all his life.  
  
She was asleep again. From what he'd experienced while he was Changing, he was sure that she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep.  
  
  
  
TBC.  
  
A/N: hoped you liked it, now I need you to do something for me. You see that purple button right there to your right? Yeah? Ok, I need you to click on that, and then write (type) a review, and please, no flames, I suffer from low self-esteem. R&R. 


	3. Morning After

.Sweet Dreams III -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake, but if I cried would you bring it back? It's really a good show, even though I've only seen two episodes (not even complete!). But that's not my fault, if the show never went to commercial, then I wouldn't change it to Smallville, and then I wouldn't see my sexy, perfect looking Clark Kent, and then I would be able to turn back! But he's just so damn perfect looking, and I can't help it. He's like David Blaine and me; I can't take my eyes off that cute guy. The same thing happened with Roswell, once I turned to Smallville, I couldn't turn back! I could only watch those shows if Smallville was a rerun, and unfortunately they weren't.  
  
.Sweet Dreams  
  
Letting her eyes flutter open, she wondered had it all been a dream. Had the infamous Luke Cates actually told her she was beautiful? Had he really blown of his favorite sex mate to just lay with her, knowing that things would never progress?  
  
As soon as her vision cleared, she saw him lying before her, eyes closed as his warm breath stroked her face, and she knew that it was real.  
  
She gazed at him astounded. He was destined to be Alpha. Everything about him seemed to be bred for the important role of leader. He stood tall and eminent. His head held high, his jaw square, and his hands firm. His body was strong and limber, ready to take on all that he was given. His face was gentle and beautiful, ready for all his servants to praise him for his kindness and greatness. His eyes strong and passionate, he was ready to reign with justice and rule with pity.  
  
Gazing into his beautiful face, she unconsciously held her breath. He was so beautiful. His handsome boyishly cut face was firmly squared, making his jaw line look strong and intimidating. His cheekbones were high, yet undefined under the layer of soft pale skin. He had his father's nose, which seemed to complement his good looks instead of underplaying them. His eyes were a bright emerald green, currently being shielded by the thin layer of skin deemed his eyelids. His lips were a faded pink, curved flawlessly as a small smile seemed to tickle them, lifting them slightly at the edges.  
  
Lifting her hand to his face, she was hesitant as she gently touched his face, just above his brow. As her fingers fused with the smooth skin of his face, she felt herself and Luke release a breath simultaneously.  
  
She watched as the smile on his face grew wider. She let her fingers gently graze his skin, as she traced her fingers down his jaw line to his lips. Softly she ran her fingers over the outline of his lips, gently stroking him, wishing it were her lips instead of her fingers.  
  
He woke up to the feel of her fingertips, carefully tracing his lips.  
  
Opening his eyes slowly, he found the most breathtaking sight revealed before his eyes. She lay next to him, innocently touching him.  
  
Without even looking at him, she knew he was awake. "Do you know how beautiful you are when you sleep?" she said with a breath no louder than a whisper.  
  
Bringing his fingers up to her face, he gently tucked a strand of burnt umber hair behind her ear. Letting his eyes rest on hers he grinned, "Nothing near as perfect as you do."  
  
"Thanks Luke." She whispered softly.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For being here, for helping me when you didn't have to. You really do care."  
  
"And thank you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"For trusting me, and never once questioning me even when I brought you to my room and climbed into bed behind you."  
  
"You don't have to thank me for that, I was in so much pain I wouldn't have said anything if you'd stuck me in a lesbian orgy." She smiled.  
  
  
  
"Really?" he smirked, "I gotta' try that next time, it'd be a lot more entertaining than this."  
  
"You think I'm boring?" she asked, but it came out as more of a statement as she looked away from him.  
  
"No, I was trying to make a joke. It was really bad. You're nowhere near boring. I like being with you. You are quiet and like to get straight to the point. You breathe in nature and embrace it before taking a huge chunk of it. You're going to be a great wolf."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah. You're going to be smart, strong, hardheaded," she laughed, "You're gunna' run fluidly like a river, swiftly like a cheetah, and howl like the slide of a flute. You're gunna' hold your head up high as everyone looks at gazes at you and praises you like the simple and beautiful queen that you are. You're gunna' touch everyone with that gentle heart of yours. . . and you're gunna' stop staring at me like that or I'm gunna' have to kiss you!"  
  
  
  
She laughed again, this time her big brown eyes twinkled before him.  
  
"You like my sexy body don't you?" he smirked.  
  
"I like Vin Diesel's sexy body, I don't know about yours."  
  
"Well let me tell you a secret." he said with a dramatic whisper, "I like yours."  
  
She giggled. "That's not a secret! You've been blowing kisses, whispering obscene comments and touching me inappropriately since we started high school. I think it's a pretty accurate observation when I say, 'I already know you like my sexy body'."  
  
"Was I that obvious?" he grinned reaching out and casually stroked her arm.  
  
  
  
"No." she grinned, nuzzling even closer. "Of course you were!"  
  
Placing a kiss on her head, he stroked her hair.  
  
"Are you hungry?"  
  
"Starving."  
  
"C'mon, let's get you something to eat. You look like one of those models, the one's with the starving look in their eyes. You're even getting thinner."  
  
"My Dad said the same thing this morning."  
  
"So, uh, does he know about the uh, Change?"  
  
"Not really, he's a guy, so he's a little oblivious. The only thing he's noticed was that I've been getting thinner, and that's probably 'cuz that's superficial."  
  
"Are you upset about that?" he whispered, concern oozing out of him.  
  
"I should be, shouldn't I?" she asked looking at him, her voice mirroring his.  
  
"Maybe?" he shrugged.  
  
"But I'm not, I think. I just think it relieves me because I don't have to worry about him finding out before I want to tell him. I want him to find out from me, not from some dumb outbreak, or when I'm dreaming and wake up with glowing gold eyes. I want him to hear me out, he's already pretty pissed that I skipped out on Florence."  
  
"I was wondering earlier today why you did, I guess I know now."  
  
"Sorry I lied, I just. . . "  
  
"You don't have to explain to me, I get it, remember I went through this too."  
  
"Oh, yeah." She sighed lowering her eyes.  
  
"So how long have you been going through all this?"  
  
"The really bad stuff started like two weeks ago. And the throwing up started last night after I ate some soup. But, like the symptoms of the Change have been going on for at least a month."  
  
"Wow, I went through it for two weeks."  
  
"I guess I get the extra pain because I'm a mutt."  
  
"You know I don't look at you like that, right?"  
  
"Maybe not now, but you used to. When you became Alpha of the brat pack you looked at me the same way they did. You loathed me, and you thought of me as trailer trash. You might not have done it intentionally, but that's what it felt like."  
  
His eyes widened as she looked away from him completely. Her eyes, twinkling with tears, focused on the ceiling as she tried not to succumb to the influence of her heart.  
  
"I'm sorry." Was all that he could say as he looked at her.  
  
"I know. . . " She replied sincerely, "I don't even think. . . just drop it, you were supposed to make me dinner." She smiled disarmingly as she returned her gaze to him.  
  
Pulling himself out of bed, he took her arm and pulled her out with him. "After we eat, I'll take you home ok?" he smiled standing before her.  
  
"Uh, wait. . . " She said just before he opened the door. "I know this is weird," she began staring at her fingers as if they were terribly important, "but can I just stay here the night? With you? I mean, I don't mean like to do anything, or anything like that, but with the Change coming on, I haven't been able to get any sleep or even slack from the pains, but. . . this afternoon was the first time in a while that I've been able to sleep without any trouble. I didn't even have the nightmare. . . Just the night please, and then you and Prestley can go on with you're usual plans?" she asked.  
  
Guiding her chin upwards until their eyes met, he smiled. Her eyes twinkled with pleading as she stared at him. "Yeah."  
  
She let out a breath that she didn't know that she'd been holding.  
  
"Thanks a lot."  
  
"Do you want to call him at least?"  
  
"Do you not know Matthew Donner? Mr. I-hate-Luke-Cates-even-if-he- saved-my- daughter's-life-because-he-was-the-reason-why-it-was-threatened-in-the- first-place? I mean if you haven't then I'll introduce you to him next time I see you."  
  
"Well, what are you going to say when he asks where you've been all night?"  
  
"Sometimes it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission." She sighed.  
  
  
  
"Ok, c'mon, you're gunna' have a Luke Cates special."  
  
"Microwave popcorn and soda?" she guessed.  
  
"Funny, just 'cuz I'm a guy doesn't mean I can't cook."  
  
"I'll believe it when I see it." She mumbled skeptically.  
  
"What was that? That is sex discrimination! I'll show you!" he grinned pulling her arm, leading her out of his bedroom to the kitchen.  
  
As soon as they entered the immaculate chamber, they were assaulted by the scent of broccoli mixed in a pot of macaroni and a pot roast warming in the oven.  
  
"I guess I won't get to show you my wizardry this time." He smiled whirling around to look at her.  
  
"I bet you knew that your mother cooked already so that you could get out of your lie." She smirked.  
  
"Hey, Luke Cates does not lie about food."  
  
"You better not," she warned, "now tell me, is this stuff as good as it smells?"  
  
"It better be, or Ruby just spent a hell of a lotta' energy to lie to me about it." Vivian Cates smiled as she entered the room.  
  
"Hey Mom." Luke smiled putting his hand in the pot and pulling out a piece of broccoli.  
  
"Lucas, don't do that." She scolded, "Get a plate. . . I swear, the world is lost on you teenagers, you guys have no manners."  
  
"That's why we're all genius' on computers. We skipped out on Finishing School so we could go online and look up porn." He grinned, popping the piece in his mouth.  
  
"Lucas, that's just gross! You know not to talk that way in front of guests."  
  
"Sorry Sophia." He grinned mischievously.  
  
Rolling her eyes, she turned to his mother. "Hi Mrs. Cates. I haven't seen you in awhile."  
  
"Yes I know. . . It was a shock for me to show up and find you and my son sleeping together in his bed. At least he and Prestley take it out to the woods."  
  
Both teens looked away from her, their faces flushed red.  
  
"So I see you've succumbed to my son's bad boy charms." She smiled, taking out two plates and heading towards the pot.  
  
"Mom," Luke sighed looking up, "it's not like that, she was just really tired, and she just ended up falling to sleep."  
  
"Yeah Mrs. Cates, it wasn't like that. . . I just haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately. I've been kinda' sick."  
  
". . . And my son would risk catching whatever it is that you've got so that he could be a true friend and help you sleep."  
  
"Mom!" Luke cried in outrage. "It wasn't like that. I wasn't trying to get her into bed like that. God! I'm not as big of a shit-head as you think I am!"  
  
"Luke, watch your language!" she scolded.  
  
"I am her friend, and she was hurting ok? If we were really going to do something indecent, or if we had already done it, don't you think you would have smelled it? That was really mean. I can't believe you'd think that about her, you've known Sophie all her life. How could you say something like that?"  
  
Blinking back her surprise at her son's sudden burst of ethics, she turned towards the young girl. Scrutinizing the young girl slowly, she wondered what was it about her that made him suddenly grow real feelings. There was nothing particularly special about her, well there was, but nothing substantial. Her straight, long burnt umber tresses were pulled into a braided ponytail. Her large almond eyes were hidden beneath the rim of her black glasses. Her dark eyelashes were so long that they looked as if they were reaching up to touch heaven.  
  
The only thing that set her apart from the other girls walking around on long golden legs was the fact that she wore no of make-up, not even lip- gloss. Her dark pink lips were curved perfectly, almost temptingly. Her pale skin held a healthy pink undertone that accentuated her high cheek bones and seemed to make her glow.  
  
She was built like a dancer, long, slender, lithe and toned. She wore a red t-shirt and a pair of jeans, as if she weren't trying to impress anyone.  
  
"I'm sorry Sophia, I guess it's hard to break the habit of being nasty to Luke's girlfriends. I meant no disrespect; you know that I cherish you as if you were my own. I always have. Remember when you were younger and I had to always sit you two down and lecture you because you were impossible kids? I'm real sorry though, I guess I wasn't thinking." She smiled, feeling kind of stupid apologizing to a teen. But if Luke thought she was important enough to fight for, then she would have to respect her and apologize.  
  
"Thanks, and I'm sorry for showing up unexpectedly in your son's bed. I'm sure if I were in your place, I'd make the same assumptions you did." She replied.  
  
Trying to hide her surprise of Sophia's sincerity, she began shoveling food onto the plates. "So Sophia how's your Dad?"  
  
"He's great."  
  
"What time is he coming to pick you up?" she asked casually.  
  
They were both silent after her last statement.  
  
Turning towards the two, she interpreted their peace. "He doesn't know that you're here?"  
  
"I haven't told him, he doesn't really like Luke too much. I mean, Luke's not on my Dad's top 10 most favorites list. If I told him I was here, he'd probably flip out and drag me out of here with him." She explained looking at the woman.  
  
"Well you have to tell him, or would you like me to take you home?"  
  
She glanced at Luke with that pleading look in her eyes again.  
  
"Uh, Ma I'll walk her home after dinner and after we finish our homework." He said.  
  
Looking at her son, she could tell that he was lying. Those emerald eyes, identical to his father's didn't flicker for any old reason.  
  
"Ok guys, what is going on?" she asked looking from one to the other.  
  
"Nothing Mom." He answered, this time looking away.  
  
"Guys, I know you think that grown ups are stupid, but I can tell when you guys are lying to me. Now what's going on?"  
  
"Nothing's going on Mom." Luke argued.  
  
"Ok, but if Matt calls, I'm not going to lie to him."  
  
"Then don't pick up the phone, we've got caller ID."  
  
"What if it's something important, something about the pack?"  
  
"Mom, I don't care what you do, but he can't know that she's here. He'll take her away!"  
  
"Luke, she's not a puppy. She's a real girl, and Matt's her real Father. I know he'll be really worried. He'll also be upset with me if I lie to him about seeing her."  
  
"Mrs. Cates, I don't want to put yourself out and lie to him, it's not like I'm trying to runaway or anything, I'll be back home in the morning, I just need. . . " she stopped as she looked at him again, something purely readable to Vivian.  
  
". . . You just need Luke tonight?"  
  
"Yeah." She sighed.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why do you need Luke?"  
  
"Please Mrs. Cates, I really don't feel right telling you before I tell my own Father."  
  
"Are you pregnant?"  
  
"What!" Luke gasped in surprise.  
  
"I just don't want to say anything before my Father hears it straight from the horses mouth, as the saying goes. I don't want him to feel bad." She said.  
  
"Wait, you can't. . . " Luke began.  
  
"Is it Luke's?" Vivian interrupted.  
  
"I thought you guys couldn't mate with the other kind?" she asked, not even thinking of the turmoil this accusation could put her in.  
  
"How do you think you got here missy?"  
  
"Just please Mrs. Cates, don't tell my Dad." She pleaded.  
  
"Eat up kids." She said turning around, trying to figure out this problem in her head.  
  
Watching her leave the room Luke looked at Sophia. "Why didn't you just tell my Mom you were Changing? Now she thinks I've impregnated you."  
  
"I can't let this get out before my Father even hears about it."  
  
"At least she'll let you stay the night." He grinned handing her a plate of food.  
  
Sitting across from another at the table, they talked, laughed and sneaked yearning gazes at each other while enjoying a filling meal.  
  
  
  
~***~  
  
Waking up to the sound of the clock radio, his eyes flickered open, only to rest on the still sleeping Sophia.  
  
She looked like an angel as the sunrays streamed in via the window, surrounding her in their beauty. Her dark tresses caught the pure light, wrapping it around her head like a halo. Asleep or awake, she looked the same; like the goddess Aphrodite sent down to earth exclusively for him.  
  
"Hey, wake up." He whispered, still gazing at her adoringly.  
  
She didn't even stir.  
  
Placing a soft kiss on her cheek, his lips moved down to her ear. "Hey, sleepy head; wake up."  
  
"No. . . " She mumbled nuzzling closer into his shoulder.  
  
"C'mon Sophie, ya' gotta' get up, we've got school."  
  
"I don't wanna' get up, I'm too comfortable." She sighed with a smile.  
  
A smile curled his lips. Hands down, that was the best compliment he'd ever received. Breathing against her hair, let his hands roam down her back, tracing little circles.  
  
"You're not gunna' try to get out of this by flattery. Now wake up."  
  
"You're no fun." She smiled finally opening her eyes.  
  
"Yeah, well if we were both lying naked right now, I could have found a more constructive way to rouse you from your deep slumber."  
  
"I thought it wasn't like that, I thought you were just helping out a friend."  
  
"I already told you how I like your hot body. I don't care who you are, I would do anything for that sexy body."  
  
"Even if I were your mom?"  
  
"Hey, I'm not one of those Oedipus complex guys. I like my women, just as long as I'm not related to them. I don't do that whole trailer park, West Virginia, second cousin, royal family, hemophilia thing." She laughed.  
  
"So wake up."  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"Six."  
  
"What?" she gasped. "Why in the hell would you wake me at this obscenely early hour?"  
  
"Well you still have to go home and get showered and changed, plus, since you didn't believe me last night, I wanted to cook you breakfast."  
  
"I would have appreciated it more if it was breakfast in bed."  
  
"Stop trying to con me into more sleep." He smiled looking down at her.  
  
"Why do I have to change anyway?" she moaned laying her head on his chest.  
  
Gently stroking her hair, he didn't answer for a few moments, but finally said. "Because you're wearing the same thing as yesterday. People might ask questions."  
  
"Nobody notices me except Jamie, Charlie, and maybe you."  
  
"Ha, little naïve Sophia." He laughed, "You just don't know how many guys notice you. Just last week I had to tell off some guy for making rude comments about you."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"I don't know, one of the meatboys."  
  
"What's up with you?"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"These sudden jealous rages, why do you keep having them? It's not like you like me. So what's with the Captain Protective?"  
  
"You're one of my friends, do I have to explain it every time I defend your honor?"  
  
"No, I just want to know why you're trying so hard to protect it. I'm not one of the brat pack and I'm a half-breed. I've got two strikes against me, so why do you risk it to save me?"  
  
"Because you were my first friend, and you weren't the one who turned on me, I was the one that turned on you. I still care about you even if there's another part of my life you weren't a part of. And you're Changing now, so you won't have to worry, you'll be one of us soon enough."  
  
"What if I don't want to be?" she whispered.  
  
Looking down, he gulped in the silence. "Why wouldn't you?"  
  
"Because I don't belong. All of you guys have been together all your life. I'm just the charity case. There's no incentive for me to become part of the pack."  
  
"Sophia, you know that that's a lie. Everyone will welcome you with open arms and nobody will think of you as a charity case. Your Dad was a pretty powerful guy in his day, and no one will ever think less of you. Everyone expects you to be as great as your Father."  
  
"That's another thing. How can I live up to my Father's achievements? He was strong, and swift, and smart, and all the things that I'm not. I'm weak Luke. I.I can't live up to that." She whispered.  
  
"C'mon Sophia, you're just as smart as any she-wolf I know. When you were screaming in the street yesterday, you tore my skin and drew blood."  
  
"I'm sorry. . ." She said looking up to him.  
  
Meeting her tearstained eyes, he wished he could make the pain stop. "It's not your fault."  
  
"I missed out on everything, Luke." She whispered.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Florence, the world, college, a real career, I missed out on everything. You remember what I used to dream of doing as I was little, I missed out on all of it." She cried, tears tumbling from her eyes.  
  
"Those things aren't important-."  
  
"Well they are to me! I wanted to make a difference someday, now all I can do is chase my tail and howl at the moon."  
  
"That was mean. . ." He breathed. "Did you think I had no aspirations? Don't you think that I wanted to leave this stupid ol' town as much as you did? I wanted to become an architect and build spectacular memorials in some big city. I wanted to retire in Alaska at the age of fifty. I can't do any of that now, especially with that whole Alpha title tacked on."  
  
"Sorry." Then a smile inched up her lips. "Alaska?"  
  
"It's beautiful, almost like you and Siberia, except mine is more livable."  
  
"Well if you ever get the chance, take me with you."  
  
"Definitely." He grinned, "Now, let's go make breakfast."  
  
Letting him hoist her up, she looked at him skeptically. "Ya' know that toasting a Pop tart doesn't count as cooking?"  
  
"We don't even have Pop tarts." He sneered playfully.  
  
"So then what are you gunna' magically microwave me up? I think it's too early for what you were offering me for dinner. Might get me too hyper."  
  
"Hey, I can cook. What do you want?"  
  
"Uh, a cheese omelet, and cinnamon French toast with whip cream and warm syrup."  
  
"Well, that's a precise order." He smiled leading her into the kitchen.  
  
"I'm a waitress, I have to take orders everyday, so giving orders is like being Queen for a day or something to that effect."  
  
"Well, will you help me?"  
  
"See, I knew it! Mr. Cates does not know how to cook, he's just trying to get on my good side!"  
  
"I meant setting the table." He sighed.  
  
"Oh. . ." She whispered.  
  
"Yeah, and can you make the coffee?"  
  
"Coffee stunts your growth."  
  
"Didn't seem to stop you before."  
  
"I was just stating an observation, nothing more." She grinned opening the coffee can and scooping a few cups into the filter.  
  
"So um, what do you want to talk about as we do this?"  
  
"Is there really a war in Afghanistan, or is that dumbass President of ours trying to con us?"  
  
"I don't think our dumbass President is smart enough to con us." He replied.  
  
"Well he did when he claimed that he won the election fair and square. Besides the fact that his BROTHER was the governor of that state, when they finally went over all the votes of the entire state, they found that Gore really should have won."  
  
"Stop watching PBS." He scolded.  
  
"Hey, it's an addictive channel. Last week I found myself totally engrossed in a documentary on CHEESE!"  
  
"Sophia, have I ever told you that I worry about your mental health?"  
  
"No, but you said you worry about me physically." She grinned. "What did you smoke last night?"  
  
"Nothing, I was with you. Did you sneak something in my macaroni last night?"  
  
"I will not incriminate myself." He grinned.  
  
~***~  
  
"Hey, take my jacket, it's a little colder than it was yesterday."  
  
"Thanks." She smiled shrugging on his large leather jacket.  
  
Stepping out into the cool morning air, they turned towards her house. Marching in silence, she prepared herself for what would turn into World War 3. Her Dad would be really upset that she didn't return home last night. He would be truly outraged that she'd spent the night with Luke Cates. She couldn't lie about it this time. She reeked of Luke Cates, and no amount of lying could cover that up.  
  
Even now as she strode next to him, she seemed to bathe in the masculine scent of cinnamon and cologne.  
  
Breathing in his scent deeply, she sighed. Luke Cates was the cologne that she couldn't mind sporting always. There was something about the subtle, spicy scent of him that made her want to crawl next to him again, and revel in the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around her small feminine frame. The smell of cinnamon and cologne dominated him and everything that he owned, but there was something else that lay just below the surface, as if trying to hide from her. Sighing again, she wished she didn't have to go home and shower. Oh how she wished she could wear his scent a little longer, and muse over those sweet words he'd uttered last night and this morning.  
  
Looking at her as she sauntered quietly beside him, he could tell that last night didn't mean as much to her as it meant to him. She didn't feel the comfortable peace that wrapped around them like a blanket, bathing them in one another's warmth. She didn't revel in the beauty of lying beside the person that she loved, basking in the comfort of knowing that someone needed her more than she could ever know. She didn't realize the reason he'd respected her so much was because he loved her way beyond the physical, past the mental, deeper still into the spiritual, and never ending even in the soul.  
  
Pushing back his messy blonde hair, he watched her small frame draped in his large jacket. This was how it was meant to be. Sophia Donner was meant to be clothed in his things, sleeping in his bed, dancing in his arms, and making love to him and only him. Oh how he wanted this to be true.  
  
Deciding he needed to break the silence, he turned to her. "All that sleep seemed to do you some good. You've lost those bags under you eyes, and your skin is back to its normal color. You don't look sick anymore."  
  
"Oh don't worry Cates, it'll all be back tomorrow. I bet my favorite dream will start to play itself every time I close my eyes at about eleven tonight." She smiled sarcastically.  
  
"You know that if you need to, you can come over again, I really don't mind." He offered.  
  
She laughed as she looked up at his sober face. "Thanks for the offer, but again have you met my Father Sheriff Donner? He's not gunna' let me out of the house after this fiasco, so don't plan on seeing me for a couple of weeks."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"But I really appreciate what you did for me last night. I get that you and Prestley have a thing, and I wouldn't want to ruin it."  
  
*I WANT you to ruin it!* he groaned to himself.  
  
"We've got nothing." He sighed, looking away from her.  
  
"So uh, thanks for everything." She smiled stopping in front of her house.  
  
"It was nothing."  
  
Turning to him. "So I'll see you in school today?"  
  
"Yeah, we've got a Chemistry test today."  
  
"Oh shit." She sighed. "Oh well, I guess I failed that."  
  
"Don't worry, it's just a review."  
  
Looking at her, he opened his arms to her.  
  
She walked into his arms and embraced him. As they stood there, held in each other's arms, a strange silence blanketed them. Something intangible had them planted there in the comfort of each other's warmth. Finally after what seemed like and eternity, but was actually only a couple of moments, they broke away.  
  
Their eyes locked as their bodies separated. Sophia was lost completely in his deep green eyes. The facets changed into a very light sea foam green, making his eyes seem as boundless as the oceans and sky. He gazed into her melted chocolate eyes as the tiny flecks of gold flickered with some new emotion.  
  
He saw the confusion that lit those beautiful eyes, making her appear more angelic than usual. Both lost completely in one another's eyes made no attempt to move in any direction except the one they'd just been in. As their bodies moved closer, their gazes were not disturbed. With his hand, he gently swept away a lock of flyaway hair in front of her eyes.  
  
Her eyes closed as his fingers swept her face, a small sigh released from her lips. He could almost taste the anticipation on her lips as they gazed at one another once more. Their faces were inches closer and closer; then softly, their lips touched ever so sweetly.  
  
It was Sophia who jumped back in surprise. How could something so simple, so barely there, be so intense? Their lips fit together like puzzle pieces; curve to curve. It was as if heaven had made them exclusively for one another.  
  
Luke smiled at the look of shock that danced across her features. "See ya'." He grinned before turning and heading back for home.  
  
A smile played at her lips as she watched him walk away. That was. amazing. Turning towards her own haven, she sighed letting reality sink back into her trembling bones. Her dad was going to be truly pissed and she didn't know what she could do to make this situation any better.  
  
Walking towards the front door, she wanted to die. Pulling her keys from her messenger bag, she went to put them I the door.  
  
Suddenly it opened inwardly without any help from her. Before she could say anything, her Father was standing before her with dark, frightening eyes.  
  
"Hi Dad." She mumbled with a weak smile.  
  
"Where in the hell were you?" he sneered.  
  
  
  
TBC.  
  
A/N: sorry to end this on a cliffhanger, I know people hate that, but this chapter is too damn long! R&R please. That's what I like about you guys, you guys do review and I thank you, I like to know that at least someone likes something I've done. 


	4. WW 3

.Sweet dreams (I really need to change the name of this. How do you guys feel about Thunder? I'll explain it later in the fic.) -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake, but if I made a really cute kid cry for it, would you bring it back? I mean it worked for Nikki on American Idol, that baby cried at her horrible performance, and they kicked off R.J. (he has to be gay 'cuz he's too cute to be straight)! So I'll get a cute kid, and you guys make some new episodes! ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BRING WOLF LAKE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
.Sweet dreams  
  
Light poured into the dark chamber, dancing over the comfortable furniture, and illuminating everything in its path. Everything looked angelic and new with the pure light flickering over it; but he couldn't see it. All he could see was the red tainting everything in his pain.  
  
Suddenly he could hear the faint pat of footsteps out front. Lifting himself from his seat almost immediately, he strode swiftly towards the front door. From the small rectangular window, he could see her sauntering up the walkway towards the house.  
  
She looked slightly rumpled as she searched around for her keys in her bag. Her long hair was disheveled atop her head. Her jeans, along with her t-shirt were wrinkled underneath a familiar leather jacket.  
  
Leaning over, she removed them and tried to fit them in the lock.  
  
Swinging open the front door before she could turn the key, he was struck by the familiar scent of Luke Cates.  
  
She stared up at him as he glared at her, dangerously silent. His eyes, identical to hers, were a very dark shade of brown, almost black. They stared at her almost cruelly as he searched for any superficial scars.  
  
"Hi Dad." She mumbled with a weak smile.  
  
"Where in the hell were you?" he sneered.  
  
"Uh."  
  
"You were with Him weren't you? You reek of Him!"  
  
She turned her brown eyes away from him, preferring to look at the wine colored carpet. "Dad, it wasn't like that."  
  
"You slept with Him?" he accused.  
  
"Yes, but not how you think. We were doing some homework and I fell asleep."  
  
"Did you sleep with Him all night?"  
  
"Dad, I really don't think we should talk about this now. I've gotta' get shower and change for school."  
  
"Answer me!" he hissed between clenched teeth.  
  
"He slept in one of the guest rooms." She lied.  
  
"Was Vivian there?"  
  
"She didn't know that I was there."  
  
"How did she not know?" he yelled.  
  
"I don't know!" she said, her volume matching his. "Maybe she was preoccupied or something? Maybe she was thinking about the pack!"  
  
"What brought you to the Cates anyway?" he asked, his voice back to normal.  
  
"Luke needed help for the Chemistry test today." She replied, like her father's, her voice back to normal too.  
  
"And I'm sure Prestley couldn't help." He sneered.  
  
"Dad, I gotta' get ready." She sighed.  
  
"Do you have a shift at the diner?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What time do you leave?"  
  
"Eight."  
  
"I'll pick you up after your shift. You're grounded, and if I find that you've been hanging out with Luke Cates in school or at the diner, believe me, you will regret it." He assured.  
  
"Yeah Dad," she sighed stepping around him to get in the house. "I just want you to know, I am sorry."  
  
"Yeah right, don't think you're off the hook, young lady."  
  
"Whatever." She mumbled as she headed for her room, no doubt in her head that her father had heard her.  
  
  
  
  
  
"So how'd it go with Dad?"  
  
"We had a nice little shouting match at the front door. I'm sure the neighbors got a good listen to what Sheriff Donner's little whore of a daughter was doing last night."  
  
"Sorry." He sighed taking a lock of her hair and twirling it around his finger.  
  
"So, he's gunna' pick me up after my shift at the diner, and take me back home so we can 'talk'. I'm grounded, and if I'm found hanging with you in school or at the diner, I will regret it." She smiled looking straight ahead.  
  
"Look Sophie, I'm really sorry."  
  
"Why are you apologizing? I'm the one that chose to stay. Both you and your mom gave me an exit, but I chose to stay. This is all my fault. I should be apologizing to you. So, sorry Cates. I didn't mean to put you in the middle of this. Now he's out for your blood and it's all my fault."  
  
"He's been out for my blood since I was twelve and I kissed you underneath that tree on Independence Day. This was just the needle that tipped the scale."  
  
"We'd better stop talking, my Dad's got eyes and ears all over this damn town." She sighed.  
  
"When Mr. Cates and Ms. Donner finally finish talking about what they're going to wear to prom, I'd like to show the class how to compute these functions into your calculators." Ms. Avery smiled smugly.  
  
Groaning inwardly, she sank lower into her seat, her face blazing red.  
  
Luke chuckled to himself as he let go of her hair and settled into his seat comfortably.  
  
  
  
  
  
"So what do you have to say for yourself?" Sheriff Donner asked looking intently to his daughter.  
  
"Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stay out all night. I fell asleep."  
  
"Is that the best you can do?"  
  
"When I'm telling the truth, yeah."  
  
"Why didn't you call?"  
  
"Yeah Dad, I'll call you while I'm studying with Luke so you can take off work to drag me out of the Cates house? Not only would that be stupid on my part, but it'd embarrass us both!"  
  
"So it was about popularity? You went there so you'd be 'cool'?"  
  
"First of all, I'm not popular, I never will be, and I don't want to be. Second of all, nobody uses that word anymore. Just saying cool makes you un- cool. And third of all, don't you know me better than that? Don't you trust my judgment?"  
  
"I used to trust you."  
  
"Why is it that you can't trust me? Have I done anything to lose your trust?"  
  
"Well last night does ring a bell." He smirked.  
  
"That's what I'm talking about. I made a mistake. I made two minor mistakes. I didn't call and I fell asleep. I made innocent mistakes. You can't count all those times that I've been perfect, that I've proved to you that trusting me should never be an issue. I didn't call and I fell asleep. That's all that happened, so why can't you believe me? Because I did what I've already admitted to? Or is it because my mistakes involved the infamous Luke Cates?"  
  
"Because you couldn't trust me enough to call me and tell me where you were. Because you didn't care enough to relieve me of my worry. That you cared so much about your own disposition that you couldn't sacrifice one phone call to your dear old Dad and reassure him that his only child, his only DAUGHTER, was ok."  
  
"Because you wouldn't trust me to stay there and act like the responsible Sheriff's daughter that you raised me to be. You've been doing this same protective thing since Mom died. You tell me to act a certain way, you teach me to hold my head and my values in a respectable manner, but when it comes time to test my scruples and personality, you swoop in as over- protective father and you shield me from everything. Dad, I'm not five and I don't appreciate being treated like I am!"  
  
"Then maybe you should stop acting like one. Stop throwing these damn educated temper tantrums and take responsibility for your wrongs!"  
  
"I did. I admitted I was wrong, and I never said anything about you punishing me! I never did anything non-responsible, and I'm not throwing a damn hissy fit!"  
  
"Don't use that sort of language on me, I'm your Father!"  
  
"Oh, so you can use it on me, but I can't use it on you? Is that how we live? Huh?" she was now yelling.  
  
"Yeah, it's just like that." He answered.  
  
"Oh, fuck off!" she sneered.  
  
"GO TO YOUR ROOM!" he roared.  
  
"GLADLY!" she yelled stomping towards her own room. "At least then I don't have to see your damn hypocritical face! The damn walls are more honorable than you are, Sheriff DONNER!"  
  
  
  
  
  
"I'm on a train/ but there's no one at the helm/ and there's a demon in my brain/ that starts to overwhelm." She sang.  
  
Her body rocked to Third Eye Blind's "Narcolepsy" as she leaned over the painted canvass. ".I try to keep awake/ I try to swim beneath/ I try to keep awake/ but I./ I can feel this narcolepsy slide./ into another nightmare!"  
  
Peering into the painting, she leaned close so that the tiny brush could apply to the exact details. Her glasses had been cast across the room, and now her keen eyes focused on the tedious job of painting fur on the snowy white wolf she'd spent three days creating.  
  
"Honey, can you please put down the volume?" her father asked suddenly in the entrance to her bedroom.  
  
"What?" she asked putting down the small detail brush.  
  
"Can you please put down the volume?" He repeated.  
  
"Oh." She smiled understanding him fully.  
  
Because of his sharpened hearing, the loud music was not only causing him a really marring migraine, but was also dulling the rest of his usually very keen senses.  
  
Standing from her seat on the end of the bed, she turned towards her blue "Hello Kitty" cd player and gently turned down the dial for the volume. Turning to face him, she gave him one of her best innocent smiles and walked back towards her previous position. Grabbing the paintbrush once again, she leaned forward and began to brush in hairs to the music.  
  
"What are you still doing up?" he asked, watching her.  
  
"Can't sleep, got nothing better to do."  
  
"Have you finished your homework?"  
  
"Don't I always?" she asked looking up from the painting.  
  
"Nice to see that you've always kept with your studies."  
  
"Whatever." She sighed.  
  
"I like how you've taken a very grown up attitude towards this whole grounded thing."  
  
"Dad, this isn't the first time I've been grounded. Plus it's not like I have a life anyway! Between school, the diner, and home, my Friday nights are really bo."  
  
"What?" he asked noticing her eyes grow wide.  
  
"Dad, what day is it?"  
  
"Uh, Wednesday." He answered.  
  
"Oh, great!" she sighed lifting herself from her seat and picking up the phone on her nightstand.  
  
"Sophia what are you doing, you're grounded, that means no phone!" he scowled.  
  
"Well how else am I gunna' speak to Scott?"  
  
"It's midnight on a school night."  
  
"Dad, he's a teen, he's up."  
  
"Why in the hell are you calling him?" he asked watching her as she began dialing his number.  
  
"How else am I supposed to break my date with him?"  
  
"Date?" he repeated, his ears perking up.  
  
"Yeah, he asked me out like two weeks ago. We're supposed to go out Friday, but I gotta' tell him I'm grounded."  
  
"Do you like this guy?"  
  
"Yeah." She sighed hanging up after she'd accidentally dialed the wrong number.  
  
"Have I met him before?"  
  
"Yeah, he's the guy with the short dark hair, and hazel eyes. He's kinda' a prep. I think his Dad's a lawyer?"  
  
"Why does he like you?"  
  
"Oh man, Dad that's really nice! You don't even try to patronize your daughter!" she sighed rummaging in her book bag for her phone book.  
  
"Well why do you have to break this date with him?" he asked, an idea forming in his head.  
  
If she really liked this Scott guy, then hopefully Luke would be pushed out the picture and he finally won't have to worry about his little girl getting hurt by that careless, teenage Alpha whore.  
  
"Uh, Dad, do I have to explain to you the whole concept of being grounded? Well the reason why it was created was so children- old enough so that beatings are considered child abuse, and young enough so that you can't kick them out of the house or you'll be declared an unfit parent- could have no fun because of some wrong that a parent says they've done." She sighed.  
  
"Well if you like him, why not go out with him?"  
  
"Dad, do I have to explain this to you again?" she asked finally finding the book.  
  
"Sophia, I'm giving you permission to go on your date with Scott." He smiled.  
  
She dropped the book at his words and stared at him. "Are you for real?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Is there a catch to this? Like you've gotta' sit in the back seat or something? Is this totally legit?"  
  
"Yeah." He repeated again.  
  
"Oh my God!" she laughed running up to her father and crashing into his body as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a quick hug. "Thanks."  
  
"Have a great time!"  
  
"Thanks Dad!"  
  
Turning away from him, she walked to the cd player, and turned the dial up a little higher. Sitting back at the edge of her bed, she leaned forward and began painting again with the tiny brush.  
  
"And put on your glasses, you'll ruin your eyes that way."  
  
"I'm nearsighted Dad," *well, not anymore*, "that means I can see up close, but not far away. Plus they're starting to give me headaches."  
  
"Really? Should I set up an appointment with the optometrist? You might need a new prescription."  
  
"No Dad, I'm fine, just too much stress." She sighed wishing he would stop the over-protective Dad thing.  
  
"Ok, well get to sleep soon, and please turn down the music, it's way too loud."  
  
"Dad, just turn down your wolf ears, it isn't all that loud."  
  
"You're young, someday you're going to go deaf from all that loud music."  
  
"Yeah well, I'm still young now. And in the laws of America, I'm supposed to ignore all authority and do whatever possible to ensure an early grave, or at least give myself a terminal illness with a really horrible and painful death." She smiled returning to her painting.  
  
"Just as long as you've got your priorities straight." He sighed going towards his room.  
  
She smiled to herself as he left the room. Sometimes her Dad could be the sweetest person in the world, and sometimes he could be a total Dad.  
  
Leaning back for a moment, she smiled.  
  
The way that the stark white wolf contrasted with the hauntingly dark night was brilliant. Its slim, powerful body stood almost invincibly against the darkness as if challenging it. Its head was held high, almost regally, and it's muscles rippled beautifully underneath the thin layer of skin and the thick layer of fur. A small smile painted its face as it gazed up at the sky, relishing in the beauty of its eternal master, the Moon.  
  
Jumping away from the canvass she let the music rock throughout her body as she tingled with a new strength. Jumping around her room, her body began to dance without any thought. Soon she was thrashing around, her arms up in the air, and her torso rocking methodically to the rhythm of the music. Her head banged as the words pierced her eardrums bringing new waves of unrelenting energy. Bringing her hands up her body, she felt the beads of sweat begin to excrete from the sudden rise of activity.  
  
As exhaustion trickled slowly throughout her, a potent wave of adrenaline burst through her body, crushing the evil spirit and raising her higher into an unknown land. Swaying, her mind cleared of any thought except the one that had coursed through her veins since she'd first began the change.  
  
Run.  
  
Her brain began to drum the word into her subconscious. It flood into her with the same rhythm of the song, urging her to act on her instincts and go with what her body had wanted ever since she was born.  
  
Run.  
  
Looking out her window, she was glad she'd decided to paint so early in the night. At least her Dad wouldn't hear her opening the window and ask her what was she planning to do.  
  
Grabbing a pair of scuffed cross-trainers, she tried to make as little noise as possible as she pulled them on her feet. The night was warm, so the tank and boxers that she wore were perfect.  
  
Turning, she gazed at the blasted cd player. She had no doubt that her father wouldn't tell her to turn it down again tonight. But what if he decided he couldn't sleep and came in to turn it off? Should she turn it off and pretend to already be in bed? Or should she program it to repeat and let it play so he couldn't hear her retreat or return from the forbidden outdoors?  
  
After about five minutes of pondering, she finally decided to keep it on, hoping that she wouldn't be gone long enough for him to notice.  
  
Pressing the repeat button, she climbed out the window as smoothly and silently as possible, and dropped lightly to the ground.  
  
Scanning the perimeter almost expertly, she noticed no real movement, except for the one stray cat striding down the middle of the street.  
  
Looking up at the large moon, she couldn't help but smile. It's fullness looked like a pregnant belly, swollen with new life.  
  
This was the life that coursed her veins. She was a child of the darkness; shielded by its hidden beauty, wrapped in its silent hope. The blood that coursed through her veins and those of her ancestors was that of the Sacred Moon. The urge to run was that of her destiny, asking her to stop fighting the inevitable being which she must become and embrace the world to which she was born, and ultimately will die.  
  
A pleasant hum rumbled throughout her.  
  
Beneath her humble, breakable human form was a powerful being. She could feel it trying to release itself from her delicate form. She could already feel her skin tickle with an invisible pelt and her nipples tightened from the cool breeze that lifted off the lake.  
  
Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, relishing in the earthy scents surrounding her. Her senses had sharpened dramatically, revealing every aspect of the trail. She smelled the sweet scent of urine and tasted human flesh. Throwing her head back and extending her long arms, she smiled as the silky air wrapped around her body, caressing her exposed limbs.  
  
Turning, she dashed away towards the woods. The grass whipped her ankles, and the night cradled her face. She smiled as she pictured herself as a kid running with Luke. She used to imagine if she ran fast enough, she would climb hidden stairs right into the stars.  
  
As she entered the desolate woods, she slowed down. This was where she was meant to be on a night like this. This was where her heart wanted her, where her body had struggled to place her.  
  
Finally slowing to a halt, she slowly walked to a horizontal, fallen tree trunk, and sat on it. There was movement around her, yet there was no wind. Guessing it was one of the pack, she sighed, and leaned back on the trunk.  
  
Staring into the sky, she let the poetry of the perfect night bathe her. Then suddenly she heard a growl.  
  
Sitting up in one fluid moment, she searched the land around her. Her sharpened eyes detected nothing moving towards her, but to her left she could see two wolves totally immersed in one another.  
  
From the tones of their playful growls, she could tell that they were lovers. They playfully darted and nipped at one another as they thought of nothing else. She watched as they suddenly stopped, obviously still oblivious to their surroundings and came together.  
  
Looking away, she blushed. It was pretty obvious what they were doing. Suddenly a soft breeze came from the north, carrying their scents to her sensitive nostrils.  
  
Her eyes grew wide with surprise as she realized that she knew those scents. Turning to face them, she tried to figure it out. The female scent was almost heavy. It smelled like perfume, nothing natural. As she romped with the male, Sophia noticed her coat was dusty brown with white and dark brown mixed in. Her paws were white as if they'd been dipped in paint, and her tail was tipped white.  
  
The male's scent was the most familiar. He smelled like cinnamon and cologne. Underneath those scents was something she couldn't put a name to, but she knew that scent.  
  
It was Prestley and Luke, having a late night fuck in the woods. Staring, she watched as their bodies slowly blurred until they were human, their naked bodies tangled with each other's as they made sickening noises.  
  
She didn't even seem to articulate the feelings rising from her belly, stinging her throat. He'd lied to her. He said all those things to her, and they all were lies.  
  
Turning, she jumped off the trunk and sprinting back home, not caring it they'd seen her or not.  
  
TBC.  
  
A/N: hoped uz liked this one. Don't get used to these fast ones 'cuz skool starts next week, so typing will be really hard for me to do. I can't type and I can't spell, so watch out. Also this week I'll be out, I'm going to Missouri tomorrow to get my bro to college, so I won't be writing either. Don't worry during the school year thought, I write a lot during my boring classes, plus my amig Lou, who loved the show and has seen more than just two incomplete episodes can help me describe people, because I have no idea what Scott looks like, or Sean, and I'm not even sure about Prestley. I thought she was the dark haired girl on the show, but in every fanfic she's blonde! So at least I'll have a little help. Ok, I've got no more, just R&R please. Uz are good at that and I thank you! 


	5. A Bright Spot in Your Day

. . . Sweet Dreams (maybe Thunder?) -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake, and that's because I watch so much damn TV that I'm not creative enough to think it up. So I'm suing the TV companies . . . ok, I'm not, but I have nothing else to say, so ttfn. ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BRING WOLF LAKE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
. . . Sweet Dreams (maybe Thunder?)  
  
"Hey Sophie, how goes lockdown?" Luke grinned from across the hall.  
  
Ignoring him, she turned away from him heading straight towards first period.  
  
"Hey Sophie, wait!" he called jogging up behind her. "When do you get off groundage?"  
  
"Fuck off!" she scowled pushing him away from her.  
  
Catching him by surprise, her shove knocked him back ten feet into a group of freshmen. She didn't even look back as she hurried towards Algebra.  
  
Staring at the shadow of where she'd just stood, he gaped. She was strong. She was really Changing.  
  
Lifting himself up, he didn't even bother to apologize to the mousy freshmen and took off after Sophie.  
  
Sprinting into the classroom, he saw her sit down at her seat. Walking up to her, he glared. "What the hell was that?"  
  
She didn't even look at him as she reached inside her bag for her book.  
  
"Sophie." He said.  
  
Just then Jamie came from behind and sat in the seat directly behind Sophia. Looking up at the disgruntled Luke, she shivered when he growled at her. "Get up." He ordered.  
  
Sophie turned to her friend and growled back. "Stay, Luke Cates has no real power in this damn school, and this is your rightful seat." Then she turned towards Luke, "Go sit with your Bitch, I don't want you around me!"  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"Go away Cates, if my father heard about you being near me, he'd have your ass in a wink, so piss off."  
  
He looked at her face. She didn't even look in his eyes as she swiveled away, tears in her eyes.  
  
~***~  
  
"So what's up with you and Luke?" Jamie asked while munching on a mustard drowned fry.  
  
"Nothing's up with me and Cates." She sighed shoving another mouthful of yogurt in her mouth.  
  
Ever since she began puking whenever food entered her stomach, she'd sworn off solids. Although she still puked every other night, it wasn't as horrible as before.  
  
"Well if looks could kill, your great-great-great-great-grandchildren shouldn't even try to break from the womb, 'cuz they're fallin' right in the grave."  
  
"Not funny." She groaned at the corny joke.  
  
Rolling her eyes, she looked at her friend. For a while now something had been really troubling Sophia, even if she wouldn't admit it. Sophia had given up caring about her appearance. She'd grown irritable and secretive. Even though her schoolwork was still exceptional, she'd stopped pretending to care and just slouched through the day.  
  
"Hon, what's been up with you really? You've been eating that disgusting stuff, you've stopped caring, you're really upset, and yesterday I heard you puking in the lavatory."  
  
"I told you, I've been sick." She sighed.  
  
"Are you trying to lose weight?" Jamie whispered, her Mediterranean blue eyes wide with disbelief.  
  
"No, I'm not one of those girls on the cheerleading squad. My stomach's been really upset for a while. I can't keep anything down."  
  
"Well this has been going on for a pretty long time. Maybe you should go see someone. It might be serious?"  
  
"James, I'm fine." She smiled, "But thanks for lookin' out for me. You're a great friend."  
  
"Yeah, well I did stay in my seat when Luke ordered me out. You should have heard my heart banging against my chest as I stared in his eyes!"  
  
*I did.*  
  
"Boy was he mad!"  
  
"Cates is an egoTESTical asshole. Don't be intimidated by his whole bigger than the goddam universe front. He couldn't hurt a butterfly."  
  
"That's what you say Ms. Amazon Princess. I heard of what you did to him this morning. And now I get why he was so pissed. But what I don't get is why are you?"  
  
"Maybe I'm on my period or something." She lied. "He just said hey and I was ready to kill his ass."  
  
"Well ya' know that girl he hangs with? I think her name is . . . Peppy? Well you should have seen her face during Chemistry today. She kept trying those slutty moves of hers to get him to notice her, but he just ignored her and stared at you the entire time. She was so pissed! You could almost feel the waves of anger emitting from that bitch."  
  
Sophia sighed. Jamie was right; she too had felt Prestley's rage as it burned beneath her.  
  
"He was staring at me the entire time?" she asked after a while of silence.  
  
"Yeah, well in between the whole pushing what's-her-name away from him. I even saw her grab his thigh and inch close to his . . . uh . . . boy parts, and he didn't even notice. He was totally engrossed in you."  
  
"He's just pissed I don't fall over him like the other girls do."  
  
"Well I don't get why you don't, he's pretty hot, and it's obvious that he's into you." Jamie smiled.  
  
"There's got to be more to a guy than a pretty face." She sighed.  
  
"Oh, and you've found that in Scott?" she asked.  
  
Sophia laughed.  
  
"Well I'm not sure about you, but Luke's been really concerned. Just last week he stopped Adam in the hall and threatened to beat the hell out of him if he ever heard him talking about you again. I don't know what's up with you two, but he's acting as if you're his or something. I mean he's been really possessive for a while. And that bitch of his has been getting really pissed about it."  
  
"He's mental."  
  
~***~  
  
She could feel his eyes on her skin, as if it were tangible, touching her with one long finger, feeling like a second skin. His beautiful eyes were saying things that he would never dare to utter in real life, and yet she would not turn around to meet them.  
  
Sitting in the placid darkness, she felt anything but. Shifting in the uncomfortable blue plastic chair, she kept her eyes on the boring movie, secretly counting the seconds until class would be over and she would be let free of this prison.  
  
She'd been tense all today. In every class that they shared, which was five out of seven, she was constantly feeling herself go hot in the face, either from embarrassment, anger, pleasure, or pure hatred. She'd dodged him in the halls, and kept far away from his table at lunch. She even went two minutes out of her way going to gym just so she wouldn't have to pass his locker, or see him leaving the locker rooms.  
  
During class time she stared in her books as if she were terribly interested in whatever load of BS the teachers were babbling about. She even managed to fool her teachers into thinking she'd finally gotten back on track after a month of flippant interest.  
  
By the time that she'd reached her last class, her body and mind felt haggard from having to control her every emotion every time that he showed up in the room. She was tired of pretending that everything was fine and that nothing was changing about her. And here she sat in History, staring at the documentary on the natives of Turkey as if they were the most fascinating people in the world while a hundred different emotions whizzed around in her head like dodge balls.  
  
Suddenly the dismissal bell sounded, making her jump unexpectedly in her seat.  
  
Grabbing her books, she dashed out of the room before anyone even stood up, and the teacher could recite the homework assignment.  
  
Pushing past everyone, she made her way to her locker. Twisting in the combination as fast as she could, she tugged on the door, but found it locked shut. Sighing exasperatedly, she slowed down and began to twirl the three mundane numbers as carefully as possible.  
  
22 - 4 - 26.  
  
As soon as the boring manila locker door popped open, a white rose tumbled out with a letter wrapped around its stem. Guessing it was from Scott about their date the next night, she picked it up from the ground with a small smile on her face.  
  
Opening the letter, she read,  
  
Dear Sophia,  
  
I'm not really proficient in color theory, so I wasn't sure what color rose meant what. As I stood before the lady florist, she was explaining it to me, but I couldn't pay much attention. All I could think of was your soft as rose petals lips, your light as air voice, your pure as snow and nature soul, and those eyes the color of chocolate that look past my front and sees the boy . . . and the man that I am destined to become.  
  
I don't deserve you, and yet every part of me aches for you. I've made mistakes in my life, and all of them have taught me something. But there's one mistake I could never imagine making, and that's giving you up.  
  
Look at that rose in your hand. You see how pure it looks on the outside, not one blemish to destroy its absolute perfect-ness. Yet as you un-tuck the petals, bursts of pink, yellow and orange stain the insides making it not only perfect, but also beautiful. . .  
  
Gazing at the flawless rose, she slowly began to dissect its petals. She held the plant carefully in her hands, scared to destroy this little piece of heaven as she cautiously stared into its once concealed depths and uncover its secrets.  
  
Her eyes grew wide with surprise as the center bursts with color, as if mimicking the sunset. Turning back to the letter, she continued Scott's beautiful words:  
  
. . . When we are together, we are like that rose. Our relationship is perfect and carefully crafted, but underneath the exterior layers, we are still beautiful. Even when I can't believe it, the truth is, we're perfect for one another, and even through all those layers of complications that make our relationship almost impossible, there is a beauty inside of us that we both create together.  
  
I just wanted to give you a piece of myself as I watch you sulk through the halls with your usually bright face dipped in despair and those expressive eyes dull from some unspeakable pain. I hope that I have brought a bright spot in your endless days, making that adorable lopsided smile of yours curl your lips and bring the sparkle back to your eyes.  
  
Hoping that all the pieces fall into place, Your Secret Admirer . . .  
  
Pushing her hair out of her face, she pressed the flower to her nose, relishing in the light scent of rose and earth. Brushing the petals against her lips, she wondered why she hadn't noticed how passionate Scott was before? He never spoke like this, as if he had something other in his head than football.  
  
Suddenly someone tapped her shoulder.  
  
"Yeah." She smiled, forgetting to be upset.  
  
"Hey Sophia, are we still on for tonight?"  
  
"Yeah, what did you expect after that note?"  
  
"What note?"  
  
"Didn't you send this rose?" she asked bringing the rose to him.  
  
"No, should I have?"  
  
"Who in the hell sent me this damn note?" she asked turning, tears forming in her eyes.  
  
Taking the note from her hands, he read it over quickly. " 'Your Secret Admirer'?"  
  
"Who in the hell would be cruel enough to play that damn joke on me?" she sighed stuffing books in her locker.  
  
"Look Sophia, don't fret about the jackass that sent you this, you're a great girl, and whoever this sick bastard is would be lucky as hell to have you." He smiled.  
  
"Thanks." She smiled weakly not feeling any better about this. She was sure he'd repeated the same line to some other girl at some point.  
  
Taking the note from his hand, she slammed her locker door and put her back to the locker.  
  
"Ok, so we still on for tomorrow night?"  
  
"Yeah." She smiled tugging on her messenger bag.  
  
"Great!" he grinned turning around and leaving.  
  
Just as he said the latter, Luke came walking up the hallway, his eyes livid with anger. She knew that he'd heard the conversation with his sharpened wolf hearing.  
  
"Didn't I tell you that you couldn't go out with him?" he growled.  
  
"I haven't Changed yet, Alpha!"  
  
"What is up with you? Why are you so shady?"  
  
"Can you leave me alone please? I don't feel very good." She lied not able to look at him.  
  
"Do you need my help, I mean if you can't come to my house, I could come to yours."  
  
"No."  
  
"But Soph-"  
  
"Look Luke, my Dad will kick your ass, plus I'm a little pissed right now, so can I just be by myself?"  
  
"Yeah, whatever." He sighed turning around and leaving.  
  
~***~  
  
Smearing the scarlet color smoothly over her lips, she puckered up, and then blotted. Next she drew out a dark pencil and carefully outlined the rims of her eyes, giving the illusion that they were wider. Then she brushed dark make-up over her eyelids and applied mascara, accentuating her soulful eyes. Last she dusted a tiny bit of blusher over her cheeks, accentuating her cheekbones.  
  
Leaning away from the mirror, she smiled back at her reflection. She looked hot; and the make-up was a definite improvement from her red-rimmed eyes, her ghostly pale skin, and her thinning figure.  
  
Entering her room, she scrutinized herself in the full-length mirror. The red tank top that she wore was low cut, but not low enough to embarrass her. The dark jeans she wore fit smugly, flattering her every curve. She thanked god she didn't like to throw things away, because none of her current jeans would fit this nicely on her slimmer frame. Draped over her shoulders was a stylishly cut denim jacket with large folded cuffs. And on her feet were simple white sneakers.  
  
With her sharpened wolf hearing, she could already hear his vintage '58 Ford truck wander down the road towards her house. Judging by how faint it sounded in her ears, it was about two blocks away.  
  
Grabbing her lip-gloss, she shoved it in her jeans pocket and left the room.  
  
"Is he here yet?" Sheriff Donner asked setting down the Wolf Lake Morning Post.  
  
"Not yet." She replied leaning down to hug him. "But I'm gunna' meet him out front."  
  
"Don't you want him to meet your dear ol' Dad?" he smiled teasing her.  
  
"Not really." She smiled. "Maybe next time. I don't want him to be scared because the Sheriff showed him his gun collection and promised to use his biggest gun if he stepped out of line."  
  
"I wouldn't show him my BIGGEST, maybe just my regular one." He grinned. "Don't you like being protected?"  
  
"Why are all the men in my life so damn protective?" she cried throwing up her arms in frustration.  
  
"Men?" her asked, the grin wiped off his face.  
  
"Well, ya' know . . ." she sighed looking away, " . . . uh, you . . . and Sherman, although he won't admit it, he keeps an eye out for me. And your friend, Mr. Khanin, whenever I'm even the tiniest bit upset, he immediately wants to know who did it." She lied. Then she finally looked up at him with one of her innocent smiles. "Dad, I really think you need to find him a girlfriend, 'cuz his obsession with Ruby is really starting to suffocate everyone else."  
  
He sighed and accepted her explanation. "Yeah, well ya' know John. That man has a one track mind."  
  
"Well uh, he's here." She smiled turning to leave just as the horn bellowed through the opened windows.  
  
"Ok. I'll be gone when you get back. But call me at work the moment you get in. You're still grounded."  
  
"Yes Father." She smiled hugging him one last time before exiting.  
  
Jogging lightly to Scott's truck, she got into the passenger's seat and got comfortable.  
  
"Wow, you look great!" He smiled, as he looked her over, his eyes stopping briefly on her tightly clad long legs.  
  
"Well what did you expect, I'd look like a slob?"  
  
"Well, ya' know for the last couple of weeks you've been really . . . low maintenance. You haven't even done your hair."  
  
"I'm grounded, so I guess I was in kinda' a funk."  
  
"That long? When do you finally get off?"  
  
"Indefinitely."  
  
"Wow, indefinitely! What did you do to get that?"  
  
"Don't really want to talk about it. But it definitely wasn't worth it." She sighed thinking back to the night of her first run.  
  
"Well if you're still grounded, why did your Dad let you go out with me?"  
  
"I will not try to begin to wonder what goes on in the minds of men." She grinned.  
  
*I've tried that and all I got was a meaningless kiss and about a hundred lies.*  
  
"Well let me give ya' a clue, for teenage guys, it's sex."  
  
Her eyes grew wide. "I hope that's not what you're expecting from me. 'Cuz you sure as hell ain't gunna' get it."  
  
"No." He laughed. "I was just joking. I wouldn't expect that on a first date."  
  
*Or a twentieth, well not with me anyway!*  
  
"Yeah, so what are we doing tonight?"  
  
"Well, since you work at the diner, I thought it'd be in bad taste to take you to Caroline's. So instead of taking you to a fancy dinner, which you clearly aren't dressed for, I made us a picnic. And afterwards someone's hosting a party up in the woods, and I was hoping that we could go there?"  
  
*I bet Luke and Prestley will be there pressed against a car, fucking each other.*  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine with that." She lied.  
  
"Great." He smiled before zooming towards the edge of the woods.  
  
After dinner, they cleaned everything up and drove towards the other side of the woods. Soon torchlights were visible and rock music could be heard through the trees. When they finally came to the opening where about a hundred teens hung around drinking, smoking and talking.  
  
Exiting the truck, Scott guided her towards a group of his friends.  
  
"Hey guys, uh, this is Sophia Donner, ya' know the Sheriff's daughter."  
  
She winced at the latter. "Sheriff's daughter" that's how she'd always be known.  
  
A tall burly guy laughed. "Oh, the virgin!"  
  
She didn't say anything as her eyes narrowed and she glared at him dangerously.  
  
"Hey Duncan, lay off of her. Her Dad's got a gun."  
  
"And he's taught me how to use it." She smiled smugly.  
  
"Whatever." Duncan smiled fakely and walked off.  
  
"Don't mind him, he's just big talk." Scott told her. "So uh, do you want something to drink?"  
  
"Yeah, thanks." She smiled pushing her hair out of her face.  
  
"You stay here, and I'll get you something."  
  
"Ok."  
  
When he left towards the makeshift table on one of the backs of the trucks, she looked around. She recognized some of the kids, but most were complete strangers from neighboring schools. There were a couple of girls sitting on the hood of a car, generously sharing a couple of bottles of Absolute Vodka that she knew were cheerleaders. Standing beside a tree with his body shielding a young girl from view was Sean, Luke's best friend. Dancing in a small group was a girl from her Art class named Nelly. And glaring back at her from a dark huddle of trees was Luke.  
  
Returning back to her, Scott gave her a plastic cup of punch and grinned.  
  
Smelling the spice of alcohol lacing the punch before even bringing the drink to her lips, she looked at it. Smiling back to Scott, she lifted it up in a toast and glanced at Luke before swallowing a large gulp.  
  
"Wow!" she grinned as the alcohol burned the back of her throat as she downed it.  
  
"Yeah." Scott grinned taking a sip of his cup.  
  
"If I had a cold, that one drink would have cleared it all up!"  
  
"Powerful stuff, huh?"  
  
"Yeah." She smiled wrapping both her hands around the plastic cup.  
  
"Wanna' dance?" he smiled leaning a little closer to her.  
  
"Sure." She smiled taking another drink before letting him lead her towards the makeshift dance floor.  
  
Slowly she felt the alcohol spread through her body, giving her an unusual burst of energy. Letting her mind drift away into oblivion, she let the music take over, letting her body sway with the rhythm of the drums.  
  
As she swayed next to Scott, she knew she wasn't drunk. The alcohol hadn't even begun to buzz in her veins yet, it just gave her energy.  
  
Stepping away from him, she took another drink and set it on the back of one of the cars. Her skin began to cool as she slipped off her jacket, revealing her tight tank top. As soon as her bare arms escaped the stiff fabric, Scott gasped, his eyes drawn directly to her chest.  
  
Returning to him, she smiled and put her arms around his neck.  
  
"Damn Sophia." He grinned pressing closer to her lithe body, and placing his hand on her ass.  
  
From a distance she could hear the low growl of Luke through the blaring music. Disregarding it, she moved closer to Scott, making sure that Luke knew that she wasn't going to be owned by anyone.  
  
~***~  
  
Watching her from the shadows of the trees, his eyes narrowed on her dancing figure. Trying to keep the animal in check, he only let the low guttural growls escape his lips.  
  
The way that she moved with him, his body rubbing against hers, his eyes praising her body, and his scent bathing her was making his blood boil. The thought that she could actually be attracted to this inadequate meatboy made him pray that she was just drunk and didn't know what she was doing.  
  
The song finally ended and the meatboy draped his arm around her as he pulled her towards someone's truck. Watching intently, he saw as the meatboy gently backed her into the truck. Reaching out an arm, he effectively trapped her from view. Slowly he leaned forward and placed a kiss to her lips.  
  
That was the final straw!  
  
Stepping forward, he knocked people out of his way as he hurtled towards the kissing couple. Grabbing the meatboy by the collar, her flung him back twenty feet against a tree trunk. Ignoring the sickening thud as the meatboy hit the tree trunk and dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, he turned to her, his eyes glowing gold.  
  
  
  
TBC. . .  
  
A/N: hey guys, hoped you liked this one, keep reviewing, I like them. The next one's coming up soon. 


	6. My Name is Sophia

. . . Sweet Dreams (or maybe Thunder?) -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake, but with your contribution of $30 each, I could be on my way to owning it.  
  
. . . Sweet Dreams (or maybe Thunder?) VI  
  
"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" he growled.  
  
"Were we that vague?" she scowled. "Do you want me to grab him again and demonstrate?"  
  
"Don't worry, you're not getting within ten feet of him again!" he whispered dangerously low.  
  
"Like hell I'm not!"  
  
Taking her jacket from the car, he grabbed her arm and dragged her towards his truck.  
  
"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled struggling to free herself.  
  
Aware that everybody was watching, but knowing that they were too weak and cowardly to do anything about it, he shoved her in the passengers seat and jumped into the driver's. Screeching way, he drove like a madman.  
  
"Where the hell are you taking me?"  
  
"You'll see." He mumbled, his eyes unnaturally glued to the road ahead of him.  
  
"Well I gotta' be back before eleven." She said. "I'm still grounded ya' know."  
  
"Wipe that shit off your face." He growled throwing her a wet nap.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Wipe that shit off your face. It makes you look like a prostitute."  
  
"Well then I should keep it on. People will raise eyebrows if they don't see you with your usual whores." She retorted.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you any goddamn way?"  
  
"Oh, besides the fact that you've just ruined my date over some juvenile jealous rage, and might just have given him a ticket to the hospital?"  
  
"Oh, please, that throw couldn't hurt a fly."  
  
"He's a meat- human, they're . . ." she tried to find a word that described humans, ". . . he's fragile."  
  
"Oh, so that's what you're into. . . fragile guys?"  
  
"Why do you even care about what I'm into?" she snapped.  
  
"Why have you been so sore lately?"  
  
"Why won't you leave me alone?"  
  
"Why did you push me?"  
  
"Why aren't you fucking Prestley like you're supposed to be?"  
  
"So this is about me and Prestley?"  
  
"I thought you said there was no you and Prestley?"  
  
"Well that's what you're implying."  
  
"Can you drop me off please?"  
  
"No, I want to show you something. Then I think we should talk." He replied calmly this time.  
  
"It's nine, if I'm not home before eleven, I'm not kidding, my life is literally over! And so is yours if he hears about this!"  
  
"I won't keep you out past your bedtime." He joked.  
  
"Don't patronize me." She sighed staring out the window.  
  
"Look Sophie, I'm sorry."  
  
"Sophia."  
  
"What?"  
  
"My name is Sophia."  
  
"I called you that."  
  
"No, you called me Sophie."  
  
"Well you never seemed to be upset by it before."  
  
"Well now you've given up the right to call me that anymore."  
  
"Ok. Sophia."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Look Sophia, I'm sorry for whatever I did to make you mad, but I'm not upset for what I did back there. You deserve better than some boy who wants nothing more than sex. You deserve a guy who doesn't kiss you at a party, then talk about you behind your back. You deserve a man. . . not a. . . fragile meat. . .boy."  
  
"Oh, and you are that guy, huh?" she asked turning to look at him. "I guess you're the perfect guy for me? I mean the honorable Luke Cates is so truthful, he'd never do anything to hurt anyone!"  
  
"Sophie-ah, Sophia, what are you talking about?"  
  
"Nothing." She lied.  
  
Finally pulling over to the side of the road, he looked outside. "Do you trust me?"  
  
Pushing back her hair, she looked away. "I'm not sure about that anymore."  
  
Looking at her profile, her face looked frozen in an expressionless mold.  
  
"Follow me please." He whispered leaving the car.  
  
Exiting after him, she let him lead her into a dark grove. Looking around, she found herself standing under a large canopy of trees, effectively shielding the sky from her like a dome. It was dark and secretive, as if some magical force inhabited it, trying to deceive them of its presence. It was like a portal into another world hidden away in the most unlikely of places. The darkness was thick, only to be pierced by slashes of weak light escaping from the spaces between the leaves.  
  
"What is this place?" she asked, her eyes hungry for every crevice of this magical place.  
  
"I call it the cove." He whispered moving beside her.  
  
"The cove?" she breathed as if afraid to break the silence of the new world.  
  
"Yeah. I found it the night of my first Change. It was my first run, and I just went everywhere. I came across this place by accident. I was just running and I found myself here. I spent the entire night in this quiet shelter, just listening to the sounds of nature. That first night of my Change, just sitting here, I felt so much older. In this serene tent, I could almost hear time whisper its secrets to me as life whirred around me. That night I slept here, just wishing I had someone who I could share this place with. I remembered I prayed to the Moon that someday I'd find someone who could appreciate this place as much as me, and share in its beautiful silence with me."  
  
"Why did you bring me here?"  
  
"You'd appreciate this place. The way your voice caught when you saw it proved that. You understand the appeal of this place."  
  
"It's like your own world."  
  
"It is my world. Our world." He said reaching out and grasping her hand lightly.  
  
She didn't pull away. She didn't even move as tears glistened in her eyes and her voice trembled. "Have you ever brought Prestley here?"  
  
"No, never!" he choked up turning to look at her.  
  
She didn't look at him as the tear slipped down her cheek. From the tremble in his own voice, she knew that he was telling the truth. And with that knowledge, she knew the enormity of his quiet admission. The realization suddenly struck her at how important this place was, not only to him, but also to his whole being.  
  
Pushing her hair back, she looked up into the shielded sky.  
  
"Why'd you do it?" he asked, squeezing her hand gently.  
  
"Do what?" she asked finally looking up at him.  
  
When her eyes reached his, he heard her gasp. Tears rimmed his eyes as he stared back at her. The facets of his eyes were the color of emerald, with tiny flecks of hazel catching the light. His usually strong chin looked feeble as it trembled.  
  
"Why'd you kiss him?" he asked, his voice shook.  
  
"I don't know." She replied averting his eyes.  
  
"It hurt so bad to see you smile like that to him. I didn't think a look could ever hurt so badly. The thought that you actually wanted to be with him like that, it tore me up. How could you kiss him?" a tear slipped down his cheek.  
  
"I don't know." She sighed softly looking anywhere but at him. "Maybe I actually wanted him to kiss me? Maybe I liked the thought that somebody actually wanted me like that? Maybe I was tired of being known as the virgin 'Sheriff's daughter'? Maybe I knew that it'd hurt you? Maybe because I wanted to hurt you like you'd hurt me? I wanted you to hurt so badly that you felt as if you were suffocating. So that you gasped for air, but never found any. So that the world whirred around your gasping frame and your entire life flashed before your eyes and all you saw was the hurt. So that you maybe could feel a fraction of the pain that you caused me."  
  
"God Sophie! What did I do to hurt you so bad?" he asked crushing her against his chest. He brought his hands to her hair and began to stroke it as he placed a kiss to her forehead.  
  
His tears flowed freely, wetting her hair and bathing her scalp. She pressed her head to his chest as she let the three-monosyllable words slip from her mouth,  
  
"I saw you."  
  
Even with his sharper wolf-en hearing, he could hardly make out what she'd said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I saw you."  
  
"Saw me what?"  
  
Pushing away from him, she sniffled. Looking up into his eyes, she let her words pour over him with more emphasis.  
  
"Wednesday night, or should I say yesterday morning I went out for a little run to get my mind off things. I ran into the woods and lay down. While I was thinking, two wolves came out of the woodwork, and they were totally engrossed in each other. At first they were only playfully nipping each other, but soon it escalated to a lot more. Now I know I'm not a biology major, but I think I know when animals are mating. Then their bodies started to glow, and their limbs lengthened, and in the end I found it was you and Prestley out for a late night romp."  
  
His lips opened wide as if to say something, but nothing came out. Even in her voice as she spoke to him, he could hear the hurt oozing from her.  
  
"How could you do it, Luke?" she asked.  
  
"I-I . . ."  
  
"How could you say all those things to me and then go and do that with her? I let you hold me, I let you touch me, I let you kiss me, and most of all I trusted you with some of my most intimate things, and you just throw it all away for some girl that you claim to not care about?" she asked taking her hand from his grasp and wiping away her tears fiercely.  
  
"Sophie, I. . ."  
  
"But what did I expect? You were only nice to me, how could I expect you to actually CARE? I bet you've said those things to hundreds of girls already, I was just a fool to fall for them. Well I'm sorry you had to waste all your precious time to play with my mind, I bet it was really boring! I mean I thought we were friends, but ya' know what, that's ok. I don't want you to have to lie to me; I get the idea."  
  
"Sophie, I didn't mean to . . ."  
  
"It's not what you meant, it's what you did! You lied to me! You told me all those sweet things, getting me to sway at your feet, and then you hurt me like that. It was all a game to you! You hurt me really badly, and I don't need that from anyone. So, um, yeah . . . I need you to take me home now!" she sighed.  
  
"Sophie-"  
  
"Sophia damnit! My name is Sophia!"  
  
"I need you." He breathed.  
  
"No, you can't do that!" she said backing away from him. "You can't hurt me so badly and expect me to forgive you just because you can spit out bullshit so sincerely."  
  
With every step that she took back, he took forward.  
  
"I'm not bullshitting you!" he explained exasperated.  
  
"Oh no you don't!" she yelled. "You have no right to be irritated with me right now! You're the one that lied to me, you're the one that did the hurting, don't get upset with me!" she snapped.  
  
"I'm not bullshitting you," he began much more calmly, "I'm simply stating a fact. I'm lost without you, and when I'm with you . . . I can't explain it. There's something about you that makes everything that happens- from the rising of the sun, to a death at dawn- seem so . . . I don't have a big enough vocabulary to describe its eminence. Every time that I touch you, I find myself falling deeper into something that I have no name for. It's like there's no word in the English language sufficient enough to articulate what I want to say to you. I'm falling deeper and deeper into this hole of uncertainty, and I don't think I want to get out."  
  
"What are you saying?" she breathed.  
  
"I'm not sure, well not yet anyway." He sighed. "I've never been in this predicament before, I'm not sure what to do. But what I am sure about is that I don't want to hurt you again. I never want you to feel any more pain. You are so beautiful . . . and innocent. I don't want to ruin you, I want you to need me like I need you." He smiled.  
  
She didn't respond as she stared deeply into his eyes. But she suddenly felt something click inside of her.  
  
"I'll give up Prestley, I'll stop being a jerk, I'll do anything you want me to do, just don't let me go, don't give up on me! I need you so much!" the tears began cascading down his face again.  
  
"I'm scared." She breathed.  
  
"I'm scared too." He smiled moving closer.  
  
"No." She sighed moving backwards. "I'm scared of saying yes. I'm scared of letting you in again and letting you break my heart. I'm scared that you'll lie to me and everything will come crashing down. I'm afraid to trust you again. I'm afraid that someday you'll utter the name Sophie on the same tongue . . . on the same lips that you spoke that terrible lie on. Most of all I'm scared that the next time that you break my heart I won't be able to leave quite so easily."  
  
"Sophia, I wo-"  
  
"I can't go through with it again, Luke. I can't hurt again the same way I've been. I won't make it the next time. Luke, next time that my heart breaks, it won't heal, I'm just not strong enough." She whispered looking away.  
  
"Can you at least think about it?" he asked desperately.  
  
"Yeah." She sighed ruffling back her long tresses. "Can you take me home now, it's almost 10: 45."  
  
He nodded and turned towards the car.  
  
The car was silent as they drove back. They finally arrived at her house at 10: 55.  
  
"Thanks." She mumbled slowly getting up from the car.  
  
"Take a shower and wipe that shit off your face. I don't ever want to see it on your face again."  
  
She smiled weakly as she closed the door. "Whatever."  
  
"And Sophia, don't ever go out with an ungulate again, you're part of the pack now."  
  
"I'm not promising you anything." She said stepping away from the car.  
  
Turning away to march up to the house, she suddenly remembered something. Whirling back around, she smiled at his confused expression.  
  
"Oh and Luke, thanks for the rose and note, it really did brighten up my day."  
  
"You knew I sent that?" he gaped.  
  
"No, at first I thought it was Scott, but after that speech tonight, no one else can spit out so much bullshit and make it sound so good."  
  
"Sophia, I wasn't-"  
  
"Let it go, I said I'd think about it. Now go fuck Prestley, I'm sure you're better at that than lying."  
  
"Sophia." He groaned, his eyes flashing gold.  
  
"Yeah, ok, I guess I should stop playing with fire. Goodnight."  
  
"Have you been able to sleep?"  
  
"Just go Cates, you can't do anything to help me." She smiled turning up the walkway.  
  
He didn't even wait for her to get to the door as he sped away as if demons were chasing him.  
  
After calling her Dad at the station, she took a shower, threw up all the contents of her stomach, and laid into bed just as the cramps and sweats began.  
  
  
  
TBC. . .  
  
A/N: hoped uz liked this one. It was good to write instead of thinking of skool. Oh and those damn bastards gave me homework on the first day, I think I wanna' drop out and pump gas for a career, then I could spend all my time writing, and hanging out with muscular sweaty, greasy men! And they'll all look like Vin Diesel. 


	7. Nastolgic

. . . Sweet Dreams (c'mon, should I rename it or not?) -By Yo-yo  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake, what a BIG surprise! I've been repeating that same line for like seven chapters, I'm amazed that you haven't understood that by now! Public Schools, they don't teach you anything (Lol)!  
  
  
  
. . . Sweet Dreams VII  
  
  
  
Darkness sliced through the silent chamber as he peered inside. Above the opened window shown the glistening Moon, causing silver beams to dance over her resting figure.  
  
Looking at the pained expression that strained her features, he wondered what she could possibly be dreaming that could make her look so tortured. It looked as if her dream was extremely vivid as she clutched at her sides and wound herself in the fetal position. Her breathing was staccato, coming out in short heavy breaths, while inaudible words were muttered through clenched teeth.  
  
Gazing at the expanse deemed her room, he smiled. Of all the people that he knew, he was the only person that didn't have to fight with his teenager to clean her room. Hers was always immaculate, even in the small portion where she kept the thick paint-stained sheet on the floor. He'd never seen a speck of dust on the furniture, and her laundry was always done early Saturday mornings before she set off for the diner. In fact, it was always she who would chide him about cleaning the kitchen after one of his fruitless attempts to make dinner.  
  
Lately she hadn't kept with her housekeeping, but that was understandable. She was a teenage girl; at some point she was supposed to find that time spent in a mall rather than a basement was more appealing. But tonight it looked as if she'd finally gotten her head back on and now everything was spotless. She never could live in a mess for too long, even when she was younger; she always had to clean up her toys.  
  
She'd grown into a beautiful, intelligent and ambitious young woman. She always kept with her studies, never making anything less than a B, even in her most challenged of classes. She kept her job at the diner, never asking to quit, even after a twelve hour shift, followed by the same one the next day. She had good friends that liked to have fun, but not at the expense of their own well- being. She was really a good girl.  
  
The only problem with her being a good girl arose right after she hit puberty. No matter what, all good girls loved bad guys, and Sophia Donner was no exception.  
  
When they were younger, the thought of Sophia Donner and Luke Cates being together would have made him happy. Even when they were younger, there was a special bond budding between them, making the couple seem as fit for each other as Luke and Laura [A/N: I don't care what anyone says, they so totally belong together, I mean there's an alliteration just with their names!]. When Sophia needed him, Luke was always there to protect her. He was always there to hold her hand as she cried from the pain of a skinned knee, and was even there to hold her when her mother died. They were best friends, and even Marie thought they'd be good for each other when she was alive.  
  
But that wasn't the Luke Cates roaming through the streets of Wolf Lake with his gang of teen wolves, causing mayhem not only for his parents, but also for the Sheriff's department as well. As soon as Luke Cates had hit puberty, he became a sex- craved, heartbreaking, Alpha. The Luke Cates that he now knew and loathed had a different girl on his arm every time that he changed clothes. This Luke Cates cared nothing about anyone's feelings but his own. He'd just about cheated on every girl that he'd ever had, which was so far about an infinite number. He did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, paying no regard to any of his actions except those that might harm the pack. Luke Cates had sure changed since he was seven, shedding the skin of a young boy who was obviously in love with one girl, to an out- of- control, James Dean- rebel- without- a- cause- wanna'- be who was in love with any girl that would let him in her bed.  
  
But Luke Cates wasn't all- bad. He was smart and perceptive, even if those qualities made him extremely cocky. He was on the Honors Program with Sophia, and he was in the top ten percent of his class. He cared deeply for his family and the pack, risking everything, if he had to, to save just one person, no matter how trivial they might be. He was possessive over the things or people that he really cared about, insuring that his mate would always be well protected. He had a noble sense of loyalty, and was usually found to be honest. Luke Cates had some really good characteristics, but the act of practicing them outside of his parent's mansion was what made him seem more bad than good.  
  
Shaking the thoughts of his beloved Sophia and Luke Cates out of his head, he looked at the medium- sized canvass occupying one of the corners of her room.  
  
As soon as the image registered in his mind, he felt speechless. Projecting from the dark, forest- like surrounding stood a very proud, and very impressive white wolf. She [A/N: of course he can tell if it's a girl or not!] was the most realistic interpretation of a wolf he'd ever seen in his life. If he weren't so sure of his surroundings, he would swear that there was a miniature wolf standing in her room, gazing dreamily at the dark moon. Her eyes were gold, with subtle hints of dark brown brimming the iris and tiny reflections of the moon dancing on her pupils. Her lips were stretched in a satisfied smile as if she'd just completed an invigorating run and was about to turn in for the night. The way that her body stretched to meet the moon was so dignified and honest that it made him a little scared.  
  
How could she capture such beauty and reality of something she'd never seen before? How could the ripples of her taut muscles be so perfect if she'd never been close enough to a wolf to observe its movements? The smile on her face and the golden eyes were so intricate and beautiful that he wasn't sure whether to be upset with her for being with Luke when he was like this, or extremely proud that his daughter could capture such beauty and illustrate it without losing its intensity.  
  
Turning back to her resting figure, he wondered what in the hell was making her body contort so? Her face was marred by a frown of excruciating pain, and her hands were pressing her thin abdomen deeper into the hallow of her. Her long hair was laid across the pillow like a halo, except it was all drenched in sweat. She was mumbling words he couldn't understand, with beads of sweat trailing down her rigid body.  
  
Spontaneously her body flew apart on the bed, her limbs flying in every direction. She sat up abruptly; her eyes wide open as she seemed to stare right through him. He wasn't sure if it was just the light, but he thought he saw two orbs of gold before she abruptly bolted from her bed. The next sound that tumbled from the bathroom into her room was of her purging.  
  
"Sophia, are you ok?" he called.  
  
After gurgling some mouthwash, she returned to the room wiping her face with a towel.  
  
"What are you doing here Dad?"  
  
"Just checking to see if you were ok. Would you like some warm Ginger ale?"  
  
*Already tried that, doesn't work!*  
  
"No thanks." She smiled settling herself down on the bed.  
  
"So how was school?"  
  
"Boring as ever. The teachers are still trying to teach us stuff. For some reason they think homework would be a real help." She sighed.  
  
"Has Scott asked you out again?" he asked ignoring her sarcasm.  
  
"Our first date didn't really go too well, so I doubt that he'll want to ask for another."  
  
"Oh, what happened?"  
  
"Nothing major." She sighed ruffling back her disheveled hair.  
  
"Did you really like him?"  
  
"Not particularly. I mean he was cute, and sometimes funny, but he wasn't second date material. It's not like I'm going to turn into a whimpering slob because he doesn't call me. I'm an independent woman, plus he was kinda' boring. The date was so cliché. Made me feel like a blonde. I bet I would have had a better time with Lu- London." She said catching herself.  
  
"Oh," he sighed. his plan had failed. "So who's London?"  
  
"Uh . . ."  
  
*Who is London?*  
  
"He's in my Chemistry class, he's real quiet." She lied.  
  
*Yeah so quiet that it's like he's not even there. Like he doesn't exist!*  
  
"So you've got no new love interest?"  
  
"What's the sudden interest in my love life? Or lack there of to be politically correct!"  
  
"Nothing really."  
  
"Dad, are you ok?"  
  
"Yeah, why do you ask?"  
  
"I don't know, you just seem kinda' lost . . . or nostalgic."  
  
He grinned. "I'm just thinking about how much you've grown. It was like last week I was taking you to kindergarten and now your off with boys, kissing them and talking about second dates."  
  
"Dad, don't go all old man on me now! I was bound to grow up eventually, and now that I have, ya' gotta' accept it. This is the real world and no matter what, you're gunna' have to let me out into it."  
  
"Can't I keep remembering?"  
  
"Go ahead, you only live once, so why not live on the edge!"  
  
"Do you remember the Peter Pan statue in town? Marie used to take you there everyday after school."  
  
"Yeah, how could I forget! Mom used to say that someday when my life got bad, Peter would fly down and take me to Never Never land with him. We would fly to that star, and I'd meet all the lost boys. I remembered after she died, Luke and I would sit beside it after school for hours, just waiting for Peter Pan to show up and ease me of my pain. But he never did."  
  
"You used to always come home crying then. Whenever I asked you what was wrong you wouldn't tell me. Finally one day I guess you got mad at Peter and you told me the whole story, along with the confession that you then didn't trust Peter anymore, or the lost boys. That was after I woke you up from a terrible dream where you'd been crying in your sleep."  
  
"Sometimes when I'm really upset, I still go up there and just wait."  
  
"Does it help?"  
  
"Yeah, actually."  
  
"So, uh, what are you going to do about summer?"  
  
"I don't know, work?"  
  
"You want to work at the diner all summer long?"  
  
"I don't mind," she shrugged, "it's not like I've got anything better to do."  
  
"You did, Florence-"  
  
"Dad, please let's not get into that again. My decision to stay was all my choice, and I don't regret it."  
  
"I just don't get it. Florence . . . Europe . . . they used to be your dream! Even when you were eight you told me that you'd wanted to get married to a European with a quote unquote, 'sexy accent'."  
  
"Well Dad, that was eight years ago. Eventually one's priorities change, and so do their taste in men."  
  
"Well I was thinking, in Worthington (the fake next town), they need some teenagers to help run the day camp as camp counselors. Would you like to do that? I think it'd be a lot more fun than serving food to truck drivers all summer."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Well you can think about it." He smiled disarmingly.  
  
"Ok."  
  
"So, uh, what prompted you to paint that?" he asked motioning towards the canvass.  
  
"Nothing really. I was just bored, and the town's name has been stamped into my head permanently, along with the fact that there is truth to it. So I guess I kinda' just was thinking about it." She said, controlling her voice as not to raise suspicion.  
  
She wasn't sure how he'd react if he found that the reason why she'd painted this wolf because this was the one that haunted her dreams.  
  
"Have you ever seen a white wolf up this close?" he inquired innocently.  
  
"No, isn't Ruby the only one in the pack?"  
  
"Yeah, for over a century now. But you've captured the wolf really well for a person who made this up, or even actually had one standing directly in front of her."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"You're very talented."  
  
Pushing her hair away from her face, she opened her mouth to say something, but was silenced by the ring of his cell phone. Raising a finger to silence her, he answered.  
  
"Hello, Sheriff Donner . . . Calm down, explain it . . . What? . . . When? . . . Tonight? . . . Did you call Sherman? . . . I'll be right over . . . How did it happen? . . . I'm coming right over!" he assured hanging up.  
  
"What is it?" Sophia asked hearing the panic in his voice.  
  
"Willard Cates, he was found murdered in the woods tonight."  
  
"What?" she gasped.  
  
"Yeah, I'm going over now."  
  
"Can I come?" she asked in a small voice.  
  
"Sophia." He groaned.  
  
"Dad, he was there for me, and I want to be there for him."  
  
"How can you trust him?"  
  
"This has nothing to do with trust, just a friendship that's been there for as long as I could remember. He was my first friend."  
  
"C'mon." he sighed.  
  
"Thanks." She smiled grabbing his old WLSD hoodie and pulling it over her tank.  
  
Exiting the house, they climbed silently in his truck and drove to the Cates mansion.  
  
  
  
TBC . . .  
  
  
  
A/N: I bet you didn't see that one coming huh? Well this one was like the only one free of L/S, well in contact anyway. Just so you know, this was like a week after the date, not the same night. I'm not good at the whole time passing recognition thing. Hoped you liked this one even if it was really short. I had fun writing these, and your reviews make it all the sweeter. 


	8. Are You Sure?

. . . Sweet Dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimer: I do own Wolf Lake . . . wait, what did you say? The price for liars is . . . eternal damnation? Really? Ok, that's what I thought you said. Yeah, guys I don't own Wolf Lake, but if you loved me enough you'd just give it to me (don't get any dirty thoughts from the latter, that statement was totally kosher!).  
  
  
  
A/N: hey babes, yeah I know I haven't updated in a WHOLE week, but I just couldn't. Suddenly teachers are starting to teach us stuff, and then giving us tests on it like we really care! I literally had at least one test per day this week. It was torture. I have figured out from this week that junior year will truly suck, but I'm thinking for running as class secretary, but if I do, then I'll probably have no time for this anymore. Not half an hour ago I arrived back from rowing practice, and I know tomorrow my muscles will hurt so much that I'll be crying like a three year old. Plus like they're redoing our bathroom, so I can't shower, so I'm stinking up the den from all the sweat I've worked up from gym and rowing, I bet you could even smell the reek from wherever you are!  
  
Sorry if my updates take longer, but I'm falling back in my English class. We're reading The Scarlet Letter, and I haven't come up with any new questions to annoy my teacher, so I gotta' catch up or she'll suspect that her favorite aggravator isn't doing her job. Plus we're starting The Crucible next week, but I've got the weekends to type, although that only means I've got Sundays, 'cuz I've got practice and friends Saturday, and even then I gotta' do hw, so hope if I run for officer that I lose, 'cuz that's what I'm hoping, and if I do win, I will have to shoot myself from all the work. Ttfn (ta ta for now- Tigger) ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BRING WOLF LAKE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
. . . Sweet Dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
  
  
With his eyes clenched shut, he tried to control his breathing. His head was perched atop his arms and his body lay numb as he sat on the Victorian styled embroidered couch. Sitting quietly, he let the silent battle of a gazillion emotions whiz around in his head.  
  
His father was dead.  
  
Willard Cates, Alpha of the pack for over twenty years, was found murdered in cold blood in the enchanted woods that he strove for so long to preserve. He was slowly dying of cancer, while limping on an injured leg, and yet some selfish bastard still felt the need to take him away before anyone could prepare.  
  
He wasn't ready yet.  
  
He wasn't ready for the man who'd taught him to play baseball and do everything that had substance in his life to leave. He'd just recovered from the shock that he was dying and that they had only a few months left with him. He couldn't imagine that his father would leave him before he was prepared to let go. His father wouldn't leave him to take care not only of his wife and white-wolfed daughter, but also the position of Alpha, which he knew, he wasn't ready for.  
  
He didn't know enough.  
  
He was sorry for all the times that he'd gone out with Prestley or anyone else from the Brat Pack without even thinking once to spend time with his dying father. He was sorry that the other sex had more of his attention than the man who was supposed to help him gain the power that not only he deserved but needed. He was sorry that he didn't tell his father about Sophia, or school, or anything when he could have. He'd spent so many nights with his father, Luke doing homework, and his father reading one of the classics, lined up on the walls of the magnificent library, not speaking at all, just pondering on his own.  
  
He wasn't ready for this whole ordeal. He wanted his father back. He wanted the man who taught him all about nature and the circle of life to return to him. He wanted his father to be there when he graduated from Wolf Lake High. He wanted his father to give him a hug and pat his back, and tell him quietly that he loved him and he was proud of him. He wanted his dad to be at his wedding when his mate for life, the new Alpha female, would be bound to him not only in Pack law, but under the sacred laws of man. He wanted to see his dad at every milestone in his life, even at the birth of his first son, or daughter. Raising the young pup to the Alpha senior, and watching the old age-creased face light up brightly, erasing all the sadness of his life, replacing it with the pure joy of this new life. He wanted his dad to be there always . . . forever.  
  
But those dreams would have to lay unfulfilled. Even before tonight, when his father was alive, all those hopes for him and his father sat on a dusty shelf, never to be touched. His father was slowly dying of cancer, and nothing, no matter how dominant the wolf gene was in his veins, would be able to correct the damage that it had already caused.  
  
Opening his eyes, he looked at his mother. She didn't look like the strong, assertive, Vivian Cates that normally sat beside her husband at Pack meetings with her face controlled and emotionless. Her shoulder length blonde hair led deep trails as if she'd run her hands through it repeatedly. Her azure eyes were an unusual color of almost black, rimmed red from all the crying she'd done. Her rosy complexion of good health had faded, and all she was left with was the ghostly pale shell of her being. The make-up that was meant to accentuate her beautiful features seemed to magnify the immense sadness consuming her, making her look like a twisted clown.  
  
Her stylishly cut, royal blue satin blouse and her Brook's Brother's sharply creased khaki pants were rumpled and hung on her like a tent. Her long legs were pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Clasped in her small hands was a crystal glass holding an amber liquid. Her chin sat on her knees as she looked past the lavishly decorated chamber into a place that he knew not.  
  
Closing his eyes again, her drew himself back into the quiet world where his dad still presided, and everything was as it should be. Reality slipped further from his outstretched hand, letting his memories of the way things used to be flood into his mind as everything else faded away.  
  
Faintly he could hear the sound of a truck coming down the road. It seemed to have been speeding because it screeched to a halt nearby. The doors opened, two sets of footsteps dropped, and the doors closed again. Before he could actually register what was happening, he heard the front door swing open so forcefully that it slammed against the wall and rebounded back to the assailant.  
  
Soon the scent of apprehension invaded the large room, stilling the air.  
  
"Matt!" he heard his mother turn, her voice trembling.  
  
"Vivian?" he asked walking straight for her. "Yeah, how are you doing?"  
  
"Why'd they have to do it? he was such a good man! He had family and the Pack to protect, why couldn't they just wait? God, why did they have to take him from me so early?"  
  
Sensing another person in the room, he opened his eyes. Looking up at the figure standing there, and wasn't sure what to think. Were his eyes playing with him, was he still asleep? There was no way that this could be real.  
  
Standing behind Sheriff Donner, unsurely, was the one person that he needed and didn't expect to actually show up.  
  
"Sophia?" He asked lifting himself from his seat, his eyes wide with disbelief.  
  
She looked as if she'd just woken up. She was wearing her Dad's old WLSD hoodie and plaid boxers. On her feet were old sneakers with no socks on. Her long hair was tousled atop her head, and her eyes were heavy lidded. She looked as if she'd just jumped from the bed, pulling on the hoodie and sneakers.  
  
"I'm sorry." She whispered softly, her own eyes sparkling with unshed tears.  
  
Walking steadily, they both met somewhere in the middle. Needing no words to express themselves, they wrapped their arms around one another, comforting each other with their warmth.  
  
Burying his face in her neck, he let his warm breath tickle her skin and caress her ear. Her eyes closed almost involuntarily as she listened to his blood coursing through his veins and felt his heart thumping against her chest. A small smile curled her lips as she felt him press his lips against her skin.  
  
"I'm so sorry."  
  
"I wasn't ready yet." He whispered so lowly that only she could hear him.  
  
"I know." She sighed gently stroking his blonde hair.  
  
"I mean, I knew about the cancer, and I knew he was going to die, but I wasn't ready to give him up yet. I thought he'd be there for all the important things in my life. I wanted him to be there for everything that was important to me!" he cried, holding her more tightly.  
  
"I felt that way."  
  
"Does it ever go away?" he muttered, letting a tear cascade down his cheek.  
  
"The hurt?"  
  
"Yeah, it's so painful. I wanted to do so much with him; be the son that he'd be proud of, tell him things that only he could help me with, and now all that time has been lost."  
  
"He was like my second father." She whispered, sadness dripping thickly in her voice like cream.  
  
"He loved you like a daughter." He replied, no vestige of a lie anywhere near his voice.  
  
"The hurt will go away eventually." She sighed placing a soft kiss to his chest.  
  
"How? I need you to help me. I need to be strong."  
  
"I don't know what to say." She sighed, the tears finally slipping from their ducts. "I've never been on this side of the conversation before."  
  
"Don't say anything then." He whispered gently stroking her back.  
  
"Guys, I'm going to speak to Matt, so go upstairs." Vivian smiled weakly, interrupting their intimate conversation.  
  
Hearing the voice invade their quiet world, they broke apart, both facing their steely-faced parents.  
  
"Vivian?" Matt sighed worriedly.  
  
"Matt they're not going to do anything." Vivian insisted shooing them upstairs.  
  
Nodding his approval, they headed upstairs without a word.  
  
As they entered Luke's room, he closed the door behind him. She turned to face him, her eyes full or worry.  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
Walking past her to his bed, he sat down without acknowledging that she'd even spoken.  
  
Not knowing what to do, she sat beside him, staring out into space. No words were uttered as they sat in each other's company, only the knowledge that the other was there, comforted them.  
  
She reached out and grasped his hand amongst the stillness. He didn't look at her as he intertwined their fingers together, holding hers more tightly. She could feel him trembling beside her. The gentle shiver of the bed and his staccato breathing was giving away all the emotion that he omitted to show.  
  
Turning to him, she finally asked,  
  
"What can I do? I want to help you, I just don't know how. Tell me what to do, I'll do anything."  
  
Turning to her, his emerald eyes surveyed her as if he were scrutinizing an expensive vase. Her dark brown ones were filled with a sincere need to help him. She wanted to take some of the pain from his heart and help him bear it.  
  
No one in his whole life had ever wanted to help him like that. No one had ever truly cared about how he felt and how scared he was. He was the future Alpha to them, and nothing else seemed to matter.  
  
Before taking a moment to contemplate his actions, he leaned over and placed a kiss to her lips. The first kiss was soft, like a small trickle of wind swept past her, causing her long wisps of auburn curls to lift, almost like feathers and dance around her like butterflies. As they reveled in its sweet intensity, they never lost the sheer innocence as they passionately savored the taste and feel of each other. Their lips pressed to each other, and deep sighs both escaped their lips.  
  
Soon his tongue began to trace the outlines of her lips, begging for entry. Before long they were both trembling as his hands moved around her waist settling her on his lap while her hands had mysteriously found themselves lost in his blonde hair; not wanting to be separated from his lips and their breathless kisses.  
  
Pulling her hoodie over her head, he let his hands roam over her thighs as she softly moaned into his kisses. They were both totally lost in their emotions as he began to run his hands over the soft skin under her tank top, caressing closer and closer to her sensitive breasts.  
  
His fingers came in contact with the responsive flesh and she arched to his touch, causing her lips to break away from the kiss. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she felt herself lying in a pool of bliss.  
  
This felt so good, only problem was, it didn't feel right.  
  
Breaking away from his kisses, she opened her eyes, letting them get used to the light. Their breaths were both heavy as they calmed down. Finally, after her breath returned once again to her control, she pressed her forehead to his and searched for the words to convey what she wanted to say to him.  
  
Opening his eyes again, he found hers staring back at him with a brilliant fire of passion burning behind them. She looked so passionate, and yet unusually sober.  
  
Returning his gaze, she finally said after long moments:  
  
"Are you sure this is what you want?"  
  
TBC . . .  
  
A/N: yeah, I know this one was a little dry, but I've been extremely busy lately. And next week will be the same. I'm trying to get practices @ least 3 times a week, so that means my time is really starting to stretch, and I start driver's ed soon. I'm even thinking of getting a job during the weekends so that next year I can get my own car. I miss kindergarten when all you need was next week was to learn how to tie your shoelaces (even though I'm sure I failed that test).  
  
I'm trying my best, so stay alive. I'm already writing the next one, I didn't want to make this one long. The problem w/ these fics lies in typing them, not writing. I could write during my boring classes, but w/ homework and stuff, finding time to type good quality is really hard.  
  
  
  
Your exhausted writer, Yo-yo 


	9. Just So You Know

. . . Sweet Dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake, but when I do . . . watch out, 'cuz I've got nothing new to say!  
  
  
  
A/N: hey, sorry babes again, but my weeks are really packed from now on. Mondays and Tuesdays I got Driver's ED, Wednesdays thru Fridays I've got rowing, Saturday mornings I've got Range (part of Dri.ED) and then I've got choir practice. Sundays are my only days off, except when my scholarship decides that they want us to sit in church for like two hours to listen to crap that we don't even pretend to care about. I was thinking about running for secretary of the junior class or get a job but from now until Thanksgiving, I won't even be able to sleep. I'm trying my best to get these up, but it's really hard to type this stuff when you're never home, or when some asshole (damn theology teacher, or religion for those of you in public skool, I jest!) assigns you to write a three paragraph essay on the Mother Teresa movie that I slept through that's due tomorrow (I should be starting that, shouldn't I? LOL)! And all my friends are starting to peer pressure me into going to Homecoming (which is soooooo beneath me! Don't I sound like a rich bitch!) next week, but they're not succeeding.  
  
  
  
. . . Sweet Dreams IX  
  
"Are you sure this is what you want?"  
  
He was speechless.  
  
Never had such simple words rendered him speechless like that. But that was a lie, when he was in the company of Sophia Donner; he always found her innocent questions the hardest to answer.  
  
If any other girl had asked him that question, he wouldn't even have to think about it. Before the girl could even catch her breath, she'd be stretched out on her back as he thrust away wildly.  
  
But this was Sophia that sat on his lap making their current position very uncomfortable. It was her dark eyes that were burrowing into his, looking past the mask that he once thought was invulnerable, and seeing a part of him that he never acknowledged. They were her lips, swollen by his kisses, which were tantalizing him to the brink of control. They were her fingers that trailed across his burning hot skin, sending shivers down his spine. And this was her body pressed against his, making him want to jump out of his skin, literally.  
  
The thing was, being with Sophia in this way scared him. In all his sixteen, almost seventeen years, he'd never met someone like her before. He'd never met someone he could give himself up to so completely, and never be afraid of being let down. He'd never met anyone who could touch him so gently and sincerely, and not turn away from him when his eyes turned gold and his voice into a low growl. He'd never met anyone who could make him feel so whole just by the soft need in her voice.  
  
He'd never known of anyone who would give up such a precious piece of herself for someone she currently hated. Over the last week she'd barely spoken to him, avoiding him whenever she could, and pretended he didn't exist. And yet here she sat, her dark eyes piercing his as she said without words that whatever he wanted, at whatever cost to her it would be, she would do, no questions asked.  
  
This was scarier than his father dying and leaving the pack in the hands of his mother. He saw how much she wanted him, and also saw the quiet battle that she was having within herself. She wanted this as much as he did, but she wasn't as ready as he to go through with it.  
  
And perhaps he wasn't ready either.  
  
He kept thinking about that night one month ago when he walked her home. He kept thinking about what he'd said to make her smile so. Her lips first stretched in a huge grin that crept up her features until it reached her eyes making the small flecks of gold glint brightly. He'd told her that she was special and that he loved the fact that she didn't let anyone make her decisions for her. He'd also told her that her body was sacred, not only to her, but to also the Moon, and that nobody except her mate deserved to show her true happiness. She was too important for just another meaningless fuck.  
  
And she was.  
  
Sophia meant too much to him to take advantage of her just because they were both feeling vulnerable. When they'd finally come together for their first coupling he wished it were because she really wanted to be with him, and because she truly loved him. When they'd first made love, he never wanted her to be unsure about their relationship afterwards.  
  
He remembered after that night he'd prayed to the Moon that she'd be his mate. He wished that destiny had proved that they were the perfect match. He was the mighty Alpha that protected the pack, and she was his equally powerful mate, that protected his heart.  
  
With any other girl, the thought of sex to get his mind off his father was welcomed. In fact, he used that same excuse on Prestley an infinite number of times just to get her in bed (even though with Prestley, it didn't take too much), but with Sophia, things were different. She was different.  
  
Sophia meant a lot more to him than he'd ever admit. He'd never been with a girl that he truly cared for. Sure he was infatuated with a few of the girls, but he'd never cared what happened to them. He never cared if she'd gotten any sleep last night. He never cared if a boy had kissed her. He never wanted to sit beside her when she Changed, and not on top of her. He never wanted her to see the raw emotion, passion in his eyes when he spoke to her . . . And he never wanted her to know that he did care.  
  
But with Sophia, all those rules for teenage wolf dating had been broken. He cared so much about her that he was afraid to even give it a name. Being with her reduced him to a mere human, making him feel as helpless as when he was five and the monster underneath his bed plagued his mind many a sleepless night. She never made him feel small, just weak, as if no matter what he'd never be able to take care and protect her like he should have.  
  
Staring into those deep orbs of melted chocolate, he collected his thoughts.  
  
Gently reaching up and running his fingers through her soft hair, he leaned forward again. His lips pressed to hers, sending the shivers throughout her body again. When her lips opened, gaining him entry into her sweet mouth, he didn't fail to hear the soft moan that escaped her.  
  
His lips soon traveled to her neck where he left a trail of wet kisses along her pulse points and jaw line. His fingers softly trailed across her firm abdomen, making him smile the way the muscles contracted under his touch and her breath caught at the simple touch of her skin. Soon she was practically purring against him.  
  
"Wrong animal." He groaned softly in her ear as he planted kisses behind her ear and along her neck.  
  
She didn't respond as she felt herself lifting out of her body, bathing in the ecstasy of him.  
  
"Ask me that question again." He murmured, just after he'd made her gasp and spread her legs.  
  
"What question?" she whispered after she'd finally gotten over the shock of his fingers. . . where they were.  
  
Thrusting into her forcefully, he smiled against her shoulder. He heard her gasp as she grasped his hair tightly, and smiled again when she involuntarily thrust back to him.  
  
"That question." He replied.  
  
Pulling away from his addictive lips, she waited for her breathing to calm and her thoughts to straighten before she opened her eyes to look at him.  
  
When hers finally opened, she gasped again. Not from one of his moving caresses, but from the cloudy intensity of his green eyes. They were a greenish-gray, with something hidden behind them.  
  
"Are you sure this is what you want?" she whispered.  
  
Placing one soft kiss to her swollen lips, he gave her a small smile as he pulled away.  
  
"No, I don't want this. What I said to you that night a while ago was true, and I don't want you to compromise your beliefs to make me forget something that will be back in less than half an hour." He smiled.  
  
Her eyes opened wide in disbelief. He imagined that was how he looked when he'd first laid eyes on her tonight, like a deer being caught in headlights.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes." He smiled wrapping his arms around her torso.  
  
"What would you like?" she whispered as she placed her head on his shoulder, still straddling him.  
  
"For you just to hold me." He murmured placing a kiss on her shoulder.  
  
"I can do that." She whispered pulling away to place a kiss to his forehead.  
  
With his hand firmly grasped in hers, she stood up. A small smile appeared on his face as he pulled himself up. Slowly leaning forward, and placed a soft kiss to the tip her nose.  
  
Her smile softened as she led him to the bed. Letting him get settled in, she followed suit. Wrapping her arm around his torso almost protectively, she closed her eyes and breathed in his scent. With her head on her chest, she silently listened to his heartbeat.  
  
They lay there for a while in a comfortable silence, both wrapped in their own thoughts. Finally she spoke,  
  
"Remember when we were younger, I think we were five, and I had to sleep over your house because my parents were celebrating their anniversary in the city?"  
  
"Mmmhmm." He mumbled.  
  
"I remember you and I snuck out into the woods that night, and we found the entire pack out for a run. We were so scared because we'd never seen our family like that before, and we thought they were going to kill us. We were too afraid to move, and I remember you grabbed my hand and we just stood there scared to death of these silent creatures."  
  
"I kept whispering for you not to cry." He smiled bringing a finger to her hair unconsciously and rolling a curl around his index finger.  
  
"Did not!" she laughed.  
  
"Did too, but you told me you were too scared."  
  
"I lied."  
  
"What?" he asked not understanding her.  
  
"I lied, I wasn't scared. Even then I knew that something was happening. Holding my hand, I felt so safe. I know it was really early, but whenever I was afraid, you were always there. My fears washed away and nothing else mattered anymore, only that you were there."  
  
"To tell ya' the truth, that feeling of safety went both ways. Once I told my mom in confidence that you were like my safety blanket."  
  
Bringing her eyes up to meet his, she let a small smile tickle her lips.  
  
"I've got something to tell you, and I know it'll sound weird, and you'll want to comment on it, but I just really need you to listen . . . just so you know."  
  
"Are you ok?" he asked, the worry not only oozing from his words but also almost tearing up in his eyes.  
  
"Yeah, aside from the whole changing into a wolf. But there's nothing physically wrong with me."  
  
"What is it?" he whispered, the worry still nipping at his voice.  
  
"I love you." She replied simply, as if it were the easiest thing in the world to say.  
  
Opening his lips to reply, she covered his lips silencing him. "I don't want you to say anything. I just wanted you to know, just in case, ya' know . . . just in case anything happens."  
  
"But Sophi-."  
  
"I'm still mad at you Luke, don't doubt that, I just . . . I still love you." She sighed placing her head back on his chest. "Now let me just hold you, I like our silence, plus your heartbeats are making me sleepy."  
  
He didn't say anything. He wanted to, so badly, but he didn't, no he couldn't say anything, for she'd left him speechless. Instead, he placed a kiss to the top of her head and wondered what was next.  
  
  
  
TBC. . .  
  
  
  
A/N: Hoped you liked this one, and sorry it wasn't NC-17, but it'd lose it's charm if they just hurried into sex. That ruins a lot of relationships, the anticipation of sex, and then when it's gone, what do they have left? Also there's the fact that she's Changing, so the sex might speed up the process which would screw up the entire story and make it all the less romantic and intimate. 


	10. Sweet Dreams

. . . Sweet Dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: "I don't want to be your baby girl/ I don't want to be your little pearl/ I just want to be the owner of this show/ so just give it to me 'cuz you love me so much!" ^_~ (Nelly Furtado song, Baby Girl, give or take a couple of words) I think I might be crazy now, thanks to television!  
  
  
  
A/N: my amigs are all @ Homecoming right now, so I'm bored. So here's the next chapter. Sorry it's so short, but sometimes short has the best effect on a really complicated story. Meanwhile: ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BRING WOLF LAKE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
. . . Sweet Dreams X:  
  
  
  
A television set flickered on in the liquid darkness. The snowy screen illuminated the dark abyss as if a single star in the lonely sky.  
  
As if an invisible person was playing with the remote, the set flipped through the channels steadily. Finally, it came to a halt on an episode of Jeopardy, just as the show returned from a commercial break.  
  
"Our categories for Double Jeopardy are: Modern Shakespearean, Eastern Europe, Africa, Before and After, Rhymes with 'Orange', orange in quotations, Chicago, and Luke Cates." Alex Trebeck announced to the contestants.  
  
Standing behind the booths were three very anxious looking people. In the middle stood a very crisp looking young woman wearing an atrocious green sweater with thick black glasses. Her short, mannish hair was in need of a major dye job. On the box, the name Kitty was scripted. To the right of her was a handsome middle-aged man with floppy, Hugh Grant hair. The silver threads that ran throughout this scalp and on his temples complemented the midnight black of his stylishly cut sweater, draping his white chemise. On the contestant box, the name Edward was scrawled carelessly. To the left of Kitty was a very pompous looking man deemed Smith. His long chestnut mane was tied at the nape, dangling over the back of his gay, yellow sweater vest and periwinkle chemise.  
  
"Now Smith is leading with a mere $100, and has control of the board. Make your choice Smith." Alex smiled as he read the teleprompter.  
  
"Let's take the easiest category first Alex, Luke Cates for $400."  
  
"Prestley."  
  
"Who is his sex buddy!" Smith grinned pompously.  
  
"Sorry, that answer is wrong." He looked at the other two contestants, "Kitty, Edward? No? The answer is the bane of his existence."  
  
The contestants looked at one another with baffled looks on their faces.  
  
"Smith, you still have control of the board."  
  
"Luke Cates, $600."  
  
"Ungulates."  
  
"What are his enemies?" Edward piped up with a sexy grin. His deep penetrating voice wooed all the women in the audience.  
  
"Correct." Alex replied. "You still have control of the board."  
  
"$800."  
  
"Tyler Creed."  
  
"Who is Luke's premiere suspect in the murder of his father?" Kitty answered.  
  
"That's correct." He smiled fictitiously.  
  
"Uh, Luke Cates for $1000?"  
  
"The little girl that changed his life."  
  
"Who is Jennifer Pope?" Kitty asked.  
  
"Sorry, Edward or Smith?"  
  
"Uh, who is Monica Reynolds?" Edward asked.  
  
"Sorry, Smith? No? Jennifer Pope was the girl he'd lost his virginity with. The question was, 'Who is Sophia Donner?'"  
  
"Can we just finish the category Alex?" Smith asked, his brows furrowed.  
  
"I love you."  
  
"What are three words that have never had any meaning?" Smith smiled smugly.  
  
"You are r-wrong! I'm sorry!" Alex said, secretly happy to wipe that snobbish grin off his face.  
  
"Will anyone else go for the bite? No? As of this month, that statement's meaning has been altered."  
  
All three of them looked at him as if he'd grown another head.  
  
"Luke Cates has fallen in love with Sophia Donner, and now everything you once believed about him will change."  
  
  
  
  
  
Jumping up from the bed, his heart pounded in his chest as Alex's words soaked into his mind.  
  
Could Alex be right? Was he really in love with Sophia?  
  
"Luke, are you ok?" she mumbled softly, raising her head as she slowly descended back to earth.  
  
"Go back to sleep baby." He whispered gently stroking her head.  
  
Laying back down to his back, he didn't close his eyes. Those questions kept whizzing around his heads like electrons, bumping into one another and shooting off in another direction. Even with all the confusion that danced around in his head, the one thing that he was sure about was that deep down, those feelings for Sophia were really serious, and ranged far beyond love.  
  
As she shifted into a more comfortable position, she placed a soft kiss to his chest unconsciously. His hand somehow came into contact with hers, and somehow their fingers became intertwined as she fell deeper and deeper into the realm of dreams.  
  
As sleep eventually began to drape over him once again, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered,  
  
"Sweet dreams."  
  
She didn't say anything as he listened to the methodical sound of her breathing.  
  
Finally he turned his head on the pillow and muttered, "I love you."  
  
"I know." She whispered involuntarily.  
  
  
  
TBC. . .  
  
  
  
A/N: boy was this one short! But if I had added more, it wouldn't have had the same effect. Hoped you liked it. I'm trying to get the next one up ASAP! 


	11. I Don't Want Her There

. . . Sweet Dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own Wolf Lake, and if you don't understand that, then get hooked on phonics! I heard it sometimes works!  
  
. . .Sweet Dreams XI  
  
They opened the door with silent apprehension. The cause of their anxiety lay sprawled before them: their figures lying beside each other and their limbs intertwined. His chest was pressed against her back as he spooned her, holding her possessively. His face was nuzzled in the hallow of her neck with his lips pressed softly to her skin. One of his arms was wrapped tenderly around her waist with his palm stretched flatly on her stomach, holding her closer to him. Her hand covered his and their fingers laced together.  
  
If they were another species, they'd be purring with pure content. All the chaos and pain of their world didn't exist as their bodies cradled one another and reality was forgotten.  
  
'What should we do, it's time for school?' She thought watching them with pure adoration.  
  
'They were up all night, let sleeping pups lie,' he sighed pushing back a tuft of hair. 'Last night when I came into her room, she was tossing and turning. I think she may be sick.'  
  
'Don't worry, he'll take care of her.'  
  
'I don't like this.'  
  
'They're harmless, they're only sleeping.'  
  
'And when they wake up?'  
  
'And when they wake up they'll be just as harmless, only more alert.'  
  
'How can you say that?'  
  
'Think Matt, think.'  
  
'Your son has seduced half the town, how can you think him harmless?'  
  
'Your daughter is a beautiful teenage girl, how can you think her that naïve? If she didn't trust Luke, she wouldn't be with him.'  
  
'She IS naïve, she thinks he's good for her!'  
  
'He might just be, but I've also found that she's good for him. He hasn't gotten into a lot of trouble since they've been on speaking terms.'  
  
'It's just a dry spell. Once he gets tired of my daughter, he'll move on and reek havoc on this town again.'  
  
'Well they're asleep now, when they wake, I'll send her home.'  
  
'No, I don't want her alone at home. Can she stay here?'  
  
'Sure.'  
  
'If she has work later on, I guess she can go, but can you keep someone from the Pack close by? I don't want to endanger her.'  
  
'Ok.'  
  
'And recap your son on what we talked about. I don't want him to be surprised.'  
  
'Yeah.'  
  
Turning from the two sleeping figures, he thought, 'See ya' at the meeting.'  
  
'Are you both coming tonight?'  
  
'Probably not, I don't want her there.'  
  
'Matt, stop protecting her! These are hard times and she needs to know what's going on.'  
  
'Well then I'll tell her.'  
  
'Why are you so afraid of her being around the Pack?'  
  
'Why aren't you? Someone just killed your husband, the Alpha! Why aren't you afraid?'  
  
'Because I've taught my kids how to handle themselves, I don't have to shield them from everything.'  
  
'I do NOT shield her!'  
  
'My God Matt, you don't even want her to Change! You're denying her of who she is and confusing the hell out of her in the process. Can't you tell, she doesn't belong? In every setting that you've seen her in, she's been the minority. At school, she doesn't belong with the ungulates or the Skinwalkers. She can't find herself, only what she cannot be.'  
  
'And that's my fault?'  
  
'If you didn't push her so far away from the wolf, she'd have a better time adjusting. And maybe she'd even become friends with some of the Skinwalkers.'  
  
'I don't want her to be friends with the Skinwalkers.'  
  
'And she doesn't want to be friends with the ungulates that she has to constantly hide the truth from!'  
  
'I'm not getting into this with you.' He frowned, his back to her.  
  
'Because you know I'm right!'  
  
'Vivian, get off your high horse. I made a promise to Marie that no matter what, I would keep Sophia away from the Pack. I don't care if you agree with me or not, I'm keeping my promise.'  
  
'And if she Changes?'  
  
'She won't. She's got too much human blood in her to Change. She will go to college and have a normal life. She will get all the opportunities that I never got being stuck in this town. She will fall in love with a good guy and she will be happy. She will NOT Change!'  
  
'You're so impossible! At some point you're going to find yourself wrong, and then you won't have an answer to that.'  
  
'I've got to get to work. Tell Sophia I said Bye, and that I love her.'  
  
'Sure,' she sighed raking her hand through her hair.  
  
  
  
~***~  
  
  
  
Swimming through the depths of sleep, she resurfaced in a tangle of hunter's green.  
  
A smile curled her lips before she could open her eyes. The intoxicating scent of Luke and Sophia perfumed the sheets. Although the feel of his arms around her protectively were absent, the warmth of him still remained.  
  
Opening her eyes slowly, she waited for them to dilate and become used to the light. Stretching lazily like a kitten, she struggled to free himself from the restricting sheets. A sudden burst of their mixed scents sprayed in the air and rained down on her. She could get used to this.  
  
Looking about the room, there was no sign of him. Her keen eyes swept the room once more before a deep yawn consumed her. She was ready to get up and look for him, but her body betrayed her and instead curled into a ball. In only a few moments she had slipped back into the pool of unconsciousness.  
  
  
  
~***~  
  
  
  
His lips played with the sensitive skin behind her ear. A soft moan escaped her lips as she wrapped her arms about his neck and slowly began to return to reality. Bringing herself closer to him, she turned her head to provide better access.  
  
He smiled in his kisses as she responded to him. He's never had such an innocent pleasure in his life. He'd never been so happily received by anyone without the intent of starting something.  
  
"Where were you?" she whispered softly just as his lips began to trail down the column of her neck, gently placing wet kisses on her pulse points.  
  
"When?" he growled softly, making her gasp.  
  
"Earlier, I woke up and you weren't here." She sighed opening her eyes.  
  
Lifting his eyes to meet hers, a broad grin stretched his features. "Well ya' didn't seem to care very much, you went right back to sleep."  
  
"I did care, I was just . . . gathering my strength so I could go out and look for you."  
  
"Liar." He teased.  
  
"Uh," she gasped dramatically, "How could you call me a liar? You've known me all your life, remember when we used to play dress-up together?"  
  
"I did not!" he growled, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"Yes, you did. Remember I wore the red princess dress and you wore the pink cocktail dress with the rhinestone tiara?"  
  
"I did not, that is so not funny!"  
  
"And you wore the blue eye shadow and I wore the pink lipstick. And my name was Cordelia, and yours was Jessic-!"  
  
Before she could finish the latter, he'd dug his fingers into her sides and began to tickle her without remorse. Bubbles of laughter erupted from her lips and her eyes clenched shut as tears began to form.  
  
"Luke, stop!" she gasped as the laughter continued to consume her body.  
  
She tried to whither away from his hand, but he kept a firm grip of her.  
  
"Luke, please. . . stop!" she managed.  
  
"Only if you tell the truth and admit that it didn't happen." He growled.  
  
"But Luke . . . you can't lie about . . . the truth . . . ok . . . okay!" she sighed still giggling.  
  
"Ok what?" he asked not relenting.  
  
"Ok, I'll admit it."  
  
He stopped immediately, his hands still at her sides. "Admit what?"  
  
"I was lying . . . you wore the red dress and I wore the pink!" she laughed before his fingers took over her again.  
  
"C'mon Sophia, say Uncle." He grinned watching squirm.  
  
"I don't . . . I don't have an Uncle!" she gasped as she tried to elude his fingers.  
  
"Sophia!"  
  
"Ok, okay!" she sighed. "I give up1 I lied, we didn't play dress-up and you didn't wear the tiara."  
  
"And about the eye shadow?" he asked.  
  
"I wasn't lying about that one. You did once."  
  
"When was that?"  
  
"In middle school on Homecoming Weekend, you dressed up as Brittney Spears and you had on a blonde wig. You wore the headphone microphone and the blue eye shadow." She grinned.  
  
"That's cheating, you made me! You blackmailed me by saying you'd tell my mom about the time I broke the lawnmower by throwing Ruby's ring into it."  
  
"You still wore blue eye shadow." She grinned.  
  
"I hate you." He sneered.  
  
"I love you too." She grinned even wider.  
  
A smile curled his lips as their eyes met. He was drawn into those expressive eyes of hers. It was as if he were falling in a deep chasm, the darkness swallowing him as he plunged deeper.  
  
Any second now he would crash to the bottom, but after many long moments of waiting, he realized there was no end. He was looking into her soul, and he found neither bars, nor walls, nor an end. Her soul, like her love was as vast and boundless as the sky and sea.  
  
It felt as if he'd reached heaven. The love that had sustained him for as long as he remembered had doused him completely. The same love that he'd happily accepted, and began to even feel swell inside of him whenever she was present. He felt safe and in no danger of losing her love.  
  
Searching the chocolaty depths, he saw something no even he'd expected. Standing in the grove, which he'd shown her, stood a benign female wolf. Her well-built body stood out boldly against the darkness surrounding her with her head tilted heavenly-ward.  
  
The thing that surprised him most wasn't her beauty, but her luminescent white pelt. the silken hair cascaded from her strong, well toned muscles beneath the thin layer of skin. Her spotless hide shimmered like silver, making her illuminate against her dismal surroundings like a lone star in the dark sky.  
  
"So where were you?" she asked trying to relieve the tension.  
  
Coming back down to earth, he gave a little start. She'd just addressed him.  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
Afraid that he was kinda' upset about the statement she made earlier, she made sure to stay away from that topic.  
  
"So, where were you?" she repeated.  
  
"Taking advice from you last time that you slept in my bed. I went to get you breakfast."  
  
"I don't smell anything."  
  
His smile grew broader, if that was possible. "I didn't make it, I went to the diner and bought it."  
  
"Trying to cover up for your bad cooking?"  
  
"Anyway Ms. Pessimism, I was trying to be nice. But since you don't seem to be all that hungry, I'll just take this to Prestl-"  
  
"I'll kick your ass!" she warned.  
  
Settling on top of her in the space between her legs, he began to place small kisses on her face. "You love me, you wouldn't kick the ass of the boy that you love, would you?" he murmured softly.  
  
"Wanna' try me?" she asked softly, her eyes closing from the sweet sensations.  
  
"Hmmm, I thought I was." He whispered, his lips gently nipping at her earlobe.  
  
"I feel that," she moaned softly, concentrating on the friction between them.  
  
"You like it don't you?" he growled gently grinding into her pelvis.  
  
"Grr." She smiled bringing her lips to his neck, trailing wet kisses along his pulse points.  
  
"We can't do this," Luke groaned pulling himself away from her. "I made a promise, and I'm not going to break it. Are you hungry?"  
  
"Starving!"  
  
Getting out of the bed, he reached out a hand to help her up. Following her out the door, they entered the kitchen and sat down for a great breakfast . . .  
  
  
  
TBC . . .  
  
  
  
A/N: sorry it took me so long to write, but skool has really kept me busy. I've got a C+ in French, so I'm not very happy (keep in mind I'm an honors student, I do care about my grades . . . sometimes) 


	12. Consequences

Sweet Drams XII -By Yo-yo  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake, or a horse either. Man it sux to be me! (  
  
  
  
A/N: Yeah, this one doesn't have as much dialect as I would have liked, but if it did, the direction that I swerved it to wouldn't be as successful. I'm actually pretty proud of this chappy (as some of you affectionately call it), so read up! R&R PWWWEEEEZZ! I won't keep going if I don't get anymore reviews. ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!! BRING WOLF LAKE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
Sweet Dreams XII:  
  
  
  
". . . You can't tell me that they aren't one of the greatest bands of our time?"  
  
"I can and I am!"  
  
"My God, you are such an idiot!"  
  
"Hey, way to support Freedom of Speech!"  
  
"For someone in the Honors Program, with a B+ in English, you sure are stupid!"  
  
"Why should my English grade be a factor?"  
  
"You can't get a B+ if you don't like English."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, then that means you enjoy literary movements and different styles."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So that means you can't possible deny them of their greatness. They're like literary geniuses! Their metaphors and interpretations are so profound, and so-"  
  
"You only like Incubus because of Brandon Boyd!" he accused.  
  
"Nuh, uhn!" she protested. "I mean sure, when Brandon Boyd and I wed, on our prenup.s we'll have a clause that says whenever he puts on his shirt he owes me a million dollars. But even without that awesomely chiseled, sexy chest, which I couldn't imagine him without by the way, he's still an amazing singer and a profound thinker!"  
  
"Hey, you've never told me that I've got an 'awesomely chiseled, sexy chest'!" He cried.  
  
"Well you've never told me I've got a great chest either," she grinned.  
  
"I told you I loved your sexy body."  
  
"Well that's not good enough. Only literary geniuses can stimulate my vocabulary for adjectives to describe a man's chest. Plus when Brandon Boyd says it, it sounds like poetry, love, like everything that matters in the world. When he says it, I get really hot!"  
  
His eyes bugged out at her last statement. "Way to deflate my ego!"  
  
"I aim to please." She grinned smugly.  
  
"So if I came up to you and recited a bunch of bull crap, would you get really hot?"  
  
"If it was original."  
  
"What if I'm not creative enough."  
  
"Then what use are you?"  
  
"Better use than your Brandon Boyd."  
  
"Hey, with a chest like that, I could think of a couple of uses he could serve for."  
  
"You're sick."  
  
"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" she smirked.  
  
"Why do girls always gravitate towards the artsy guys?"  
  
"Because they're free thinkers, they don't care what others think."  
  
"Plus, guys look really sexy in black." Vivian Cates added as she entered the dining room.  
  
"Good morning Mrs. Cates, are you feeling well?" Sophia asked curtly.  
  
"Yes, but I should be asking you the same thing."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Your father told me you were a bit sick. He still doesn't know does he?"  
  
"No, but the time just hasn't been right." She replied.  
  
"Well soon, you're going to be finding increasingly hard to hide it. I think he's already starting to suspect something."  
  
"Really? I think he's been noticing some physical changes, but I don't think he's too sure. I've just tried to keep busy."  
  
"Well the way you've been running around lately, I think it's pretty obvious. Today must be a great relief to you."  
  
"Yeah it is, I can't remember ever sleeping in this late. Even during vacation I've got to wake up for work."  
  
"Well, you should start to slow down, too much stress isn't good."  
  
"I've still got today's homework to complete," she sighed.  
  
"Meanwhile there's a meeting tonight for the Pack, I know your father will kill me, but would you like to come?" she asked Sophia.  
  
"I don't know? If my Dad doesn't want me to go . . . I don't think I want to make him mad. I'm still grounded from the last time I spent the night here."  
  
"Sophia, regardless of Change or not, we still think of you as one of the Pack."  
  
"Thanks, but I do have a late shift at the diner. Do you know what time it is?"  
  
Looking down at her gold wristwatch, she replied, "About five."  
  
"I've got to be there in an hour, so I guess I'll be off now."  
  
"No, your father requested that you stay here, so Luke, will you go to the Donner's and her pick up Sophia's information please?"  
  
"As you wish," he bowed, then faced Sophia again, "So where exactly is this repulsive piece of polyester?"  
  
"In my closet, hanging on the door."  
  
"And shoes?"  
  
"Next to the front door, the white ones."  
  
"Any thing else?"  
  
Looking down at her scant attire, she could feel the heat rise in her face and she knew that she was blushing.  
  
"Everything." She mumbled almost inaudibly.  
  
A small smile, gone unnoticed by both the women, danced across his lips. He understood exactly what she meant.  
  
Pushing away from the table, he lifted himself off the chair. Sauntering around the table's edge, he reached Sophia. Bending down, he placed a soft kiss to her forehead. His lips lingered against her forehead for a few long moments before he finally lifted himself and turned to his mother. Pressing a kiss to her cheek, he quickly left the house.  
  
"Well c'mon Sophia, you can take a shower in Luke's room. I'll give you some of his old things until he comes back," Vivian smiled.  
  
Leading Sophia to the room, she placed her hand on her lower back.  
  
"Now Sophia, I'll bring you in some soap, Luke's is far too masculine."  
  
"It's okay, I don't mind."  
  
"You'll smell like him, and I'm not sure you or your father will enjoy that. Especially for the implications."  
  
"I really don't mind Mrs. Cates, I don't want you to go out of your way for me."  
  
"Pish posh Sophia! I'm not going out of my way." There was a long pause as she looked at the beautiful teenage girl, "Sophia, I'm not sure that you've thought of this, but what's going to happen afterwards?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I know that you and my son are together, but are you prepared for the consequences afterwards?"  
  
"What consequences?"  
  
"Are you prepared to come live with Luke as his mate? Are you prepared to give up those freedoms that you've once loved in order to live as one of us? Are you prepared for all the expectations being with Luke will entail? Can you endure the fact that you'll constantly be forced to prove yourself because of your Half-breed status?"  
  
Pushing her hair away from her face, she absorbed Vivian's words. If and when she Changed, she'd be bound completely to Luke. She'd have no choice anymore. Luke would be leader, the Alpha, and she'd be his bitch. Everything that he would ask of her, she'd have to do, anything that he's make of her, she would be, and everything that he would say to her, she'd have to agree. Her freedom of speech would be denied and she'd no longer be known as Sophia, the Sheriff's daughter, but as the Alpha's Half-breed Bitch.  
  
Turning away from Vivian, she tried to mask the emotions whizzing around in her head as she tried to think of how her life would be. Not even out of high school and she'd be bound to a boy for the rest of her life.  
  
Wolves are monogamous creatures. . . they mate for life.  
  
But how could she be his mate, she wasn't even sure if he wanted to be hers, and she didn't know if she wanted to be his. Sure she loved him, but that didn't mean she wanted to be bound to him forever. She still wanted to go to college, she still wanted to see the world . . . if she was his mate for life, when would she ever get to see the world outside of the pelt and golden eyes?  
  
Wolves are monogamous creatures. . . they mate for life.  
  
But what happened when they threw in the human factor? Humans weren't monogamous creatures, they stayed with each other for a long period of time, and then decide they should part when all the excitement wore off and they found someone prettier, more viral. They were vain creatures that left their own kind because they treasured the fantasy instead of the reality.  
  
"I'll be right back with soap, a toothbrush and a towel," Vivian stated penetrating Sophia's thoughts.  
  
Nodding mutely, she turned around and entered Luke's room.  
  
Her eyes scrutinized the whole place as if seeing it for the first time. . . well she was in a way, looking at it for the first time in a whole new light.  
  
The walls were a dark forest green, with shiny wood varnished borders. The large Ethan Allen four-poster bed set in the middle of the large chamber was decorated with disheveled white cotton sheets. A small nightstand stood next to his bed with a cold sterile silver metal lamp, a matching clock radio, a matching plate with a small vanilla candle sitting on it, and an opened book lying split open next to it. At the foot of the bed sat a very heavy looking wooden chest full of unknown objects. Against the window sat an expensive writing desk with all Luke's school stuff scattered and stuffed everywhere, and a silver sterile laptop lay open with a blank screen. In the corner between two walls sat a classic green leather chair with a matching ottoman, with one of Luke's shirts thrown over the side. Next to the door was a large armoire made of the same type of dark wood, maybe cherry, that the rest of the furniture was made of, using the same style. And across from his bed sat a large dresser with pictures of his family, friends and Pack members.  
  
If she were to Change, she would live like him. A total opposite of what he truly was. He wasn't the large impressive Ethan Allen furniture, he wasn't the cold sterile accessories, he wasn't the designer bed sheets or the intimidating air of the room, and yet he lived in this "haven" everyday.  
  
Returning, Vivian placed the items down on Luke's bed, then began raiding his dresser looking for something for her to wear.  
  
Entering the bathroom, she turned on the shower and waited for it to warm up. Sophia silently pealed off the sweaty tank top and her plaid boxers and underwear.  
  
Stepping into the rain of warmth, she let her mind relax from all its thoughts, and finally felt the tension recede from her muscles. She closed her eyes as a feeling drenched over her, the way the water drenched her hair. She was totally at peace when she began to wipe the washcloth over her body, cleansing and rejuvenating her mentally and physically.  
  
After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she exited the bathroom with one towel covering her torso down to mid thigh, and another one tightly wrapped on her head.  
  
On Luke's bed, Vivian had left Sophia a plain white t-shit and a green pair of pajama bottoms.  
  
When she'd finally tugged on the clothes, she surveyed herself in the mirror. The t-shit was a little short and fell about an inch lower than her midriff, but the pajama pants hung dangerously low on her hips. She had to keep pulling them up, afraid that they might fall off.  
  
To any guy, she knew the look of her right now was almost erotic. In boy's clothes, with bedroom eyes, and wet hair, guys would kill for that, and yet she wished Luke wasn't one of the guys who would.  
  
Working out the tangles of her hair, her previous thoughts came flooding back to her memory. Being with Luke was so complicated. She couldn't just leave when things got hard, or when she realized that she'd fallen out of love with him, she would be attached to his side; women's lib would be a foreign language.  
  
  
  
~***~  
  
  
  
Entering the house, he spotted his mother on the sitting room couch humming as she wrote something down in a heavily bound book.  
  
"She's in your room, she should be out of the shower by now." She smiled not even hesitating as she continued her work without even looking up.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"And Luke?" she called out after him.  
  
"Yeah Mom?"  
  
"Take good care of her, she's giving up a lot to be with you. There are very few people that would do that for you or anyone else in this world, so if you screw up, you better fix it before she decides she doesn't want to do it anymore and gives up on you two."  
  
"I know," he sighed turning towards his room.  
  
  
  
TBC. . .  
  
  
  
A/N: this chappy actually isn't done yet, but I decided to put this half up now, 'cuz I haven't put a new chappy up in a while. Hope you like it, and later on you'll see how Vivian's words truly affected Sophia and her relationship with Luke. R&R plesssssseeeeeee!  
  
  
  
P.S. oh I forgot, bitch is not used as a derogatory statement or anything. But she will be a female dog, and the Alpha's mate. She doesn't like the idea, but it's not meant to offend anyone, so don't get pissed, I was just trying to add effect. R&R Pwwweeeezzz! 


	13. My Favorite

. . . Sweet Dreams XIII -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake . . . I've got nothing. O_o  
  
  
  
A/N: quick on this is, except not as long as I wished. For that one person that keeps reviewing and asking if I could make her Change in the next chappy, sorry but I can't just yet. I'm not sure how many chapters I'm making this, but I don't want her to lose that scared innocence just yet. But I do agree, thirteen chapters w/o her flipping is a very long time. And in the life of this story, that's about one and a half months.  
  
  
  
Sweet Dreams XIII:  
  
  
  
The door moaned softly as he craned his heck to peer inside. Involuntarily his breath caught as he beheld her. She was facing the mirror contemplatively as she stroked her hair with the brush. The way that her hair fell across her shoulders and down her chest, shielding her t-shirt draped breast from view and cradled her cherubic face.  
  
She was so beautiful standing there looking and smelling as fresh as the rain.  
  
Seeing her draped in his clothes made him want to die. He was sure that if this was six months ago, his clothes would fit better, but he thanked the gods anyway because seeing his clothes barely grip on to her slimmer figure made her look even more tempting. She wore a pair of his old pajama pants that hung so loosely down her hips that he could see the tiniest of hairs that began at her bikini line. Her feet were bare as they sunk deeply in the sea of green carpet, draped totally by his pants.  
  
Gazing into her reflection, he let her thoughtful expression guide him to the empty space behind her. When his chest finally came in contact with her back, his eyes roamed away from her face and settled on her fingers.  
  
As one hand gently grasped his brush in her hand, the other barely caressed the long strands, gently guiding the styling tool and patting it into place.  
  
Bringing his own hands to hers, he stilled the monotonous movement.  
  
Her gaze collided with his in the mirror reflection. As small smile curled his lips as he noticed the shock twinkle in those gorgeous shocks of brown.  
  
She hadn't even noticed that he was in the room . . . strange.  
  
Clasping her hands beneath his, he guided them down to her sides, and gently untucked the brush from her grasp. Bringing his lips down to her ear, he waited a moment, letting her feel the heat radiating from him.  
  
"Do you know how beautiful you are at this moment?" he breathed, feeling her tremble against him.  
  
Her eyes caught the look of pure awe as he gazed back intently. Feeling his fingertips brushing casually over her own fingers, she felt her body give in to the tingly feeling he triggered.  
  
With the small smile still caressing his features, he lifted his fingers to her neck, just barely touching her with his fingertips. Without extracting his gaze from hers, he slowly drew the curtain of her hair to the other side of her face, and gently placed his lips to the skin just below her jaw-line. Her own lids slid shut as his lips played softly with her sensitive skin.  
  
Her breathing grew labored from his close vicinity, and slowly she prayed to the Moon that she would touch him and all her fears about everything would dissolve, and everything would be back to the way it was this morning. Sighing heavily, her body began to build with the familiar need that he stirred within her every time that she saw him. Unconsciously her hand reached behind her and clasped his neck, her fingers instantly tangled themselves in his hair, bringing him closer.  
  
Not missing a step, he brought his hands down to her bare waist and gently pressed her back flatly against his chest. His lips descended down the smooth column of her neck, and trailed hot kisses down her shoulder. He brought his hands back up towards her shoulders, and began to stroke her arms, sending shivers down her body.  
  
Lost in the feel of him, she cleared her mind of her thoughts and tried to concentrate on the nearness of him and the searing trail of kisses burning her already feverish skin.  
  
It wasn't working.  
  
The feeling of being trapped in a cage with no way out still plagued in the back of her mind, killing the tender advances that he made towards her. The thought of never being able to make up for that mistake, never being able to correct herself scared the hell out of her. She would be trapped within his grasp forever, and if she ever tried to escape . . . she didn't even want to think about what could happen if the life of a wolf became too much, too haunting, too unreal for her.  
  
He heard her mumble something softly, but with his mind elsewhere, like on trying to make her feel just a bit of what she was making him feel, even his wolf hearing couldn't pick it up.  
  
"Hmmm," he mumbled softly taking her ear between his two teeth, and flicking it seductively with his tongue.  
  
"I've gotta' get dressed." She repeated, her body tensing against his as she refused herself to succumb to his witchery.  
  
"Oh," he replied, the magic of the moment ruined as reality set in. She had to get to work.  
  
"Do you have my clothes?" she asked stepping away from him.  
  
"Yeah." He replied looking into her eyes.  
  
His own grew soft as he saw the blankness of her usual expressive eyes. He'd never seen her eyes look so empty, and the realization that they could scared him. They were so beautiful, and the thought that someone could bring such a sad look to her eyes made him want to protect her forever.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, I'm just a little tired." She lied.  
  
"You don't have to go to work, I'm sure that they can get someone to fill in for you."  
  
"No, today's paradise had to come to an end eventually, and what better way to end it then with meaningless work?"  
  
"Are you sure you're ok?"  
  
"Yeah, do you have my clothes?"  
  
"Oh, yeah . . . here." He smiled faintly before producing the small pile of cloth with a pair of white shoes sitting on top.  
  
Taking the clothes, she dropped the shoes to the floor, and inspected each article of clothing. When she unfolded the dress, she found a black lacy bra and matching panties. Her face burned bright red at the thought of him raiding her underwear drawer and finding these.  
  
Smiling at the reaction that she'd gotten from his choice in under- garments, he leaned forward so that his warm breath would sweep past her face and her murmured,  
  
"They were my favorite."  
  
She looked up and watched as he sauntered out of his bedroom, closing the door behind him.  
  
  
  
~***~  
  
  
  
He watched as she entered the sitting room. She was wearing the short pink diner uniform with the old WLSD hoodie over it with her white sneakers on. Her hair was pulled away from her face into a ponytail.  
  
"Do you know what time it is?" she asked.  
  
"Uh," he said consulting the watch on his arm, "about five forty- five."  
  
"I guess I'll be going now." She smiled heading for the door. "I'll come back for my clothes maybe tomorrow."  
  
"I'll walk you there."  
  
"You don't have to," she smiled, secretly wishing he wouldn't.  
  
"I don't mind, plus my mom said I have to. We'll meet Sean up there."  
  
"Sean?"  
  
"Yeah, he's gunna' stay with you for the night and bring you home after your shift. I offered to do it, but me being the next 'Alpha' and all, my mom thought that Sean was the next best thing."  
  
"Why is Sean babysitting me, or anyone else for that matter?" she asked, her anger evident in her voice.  
  
"Your Dad requested that someone stay with you. He didn't want anything to happen to you while he was at the meeting with the others from the Pack."  
  
Heading outside, she let out a loud groan.  
  
"Well then why isn't Sean going? He's a Beta isn't he? So shouldn't he be at the meeting?"  
  
"I can fill him in later, but your Dad wanted to protect you, and my mother wanted one of the best."  
  
"So I get to spend my night with Sean, woo hoo." She said sarcastically.  
  
He fell silent as she noticed her tense body language. The air around them was thick with discomfort, most of it radiating from her. It was so thick that he could taste the bitterness on his tongue, stimulating his taste buds.  
  
Lost in her own thoughts, she barely even noticed their discomfort.  
  
When they reached the diner, Luke turned to her, gently placing a quick kiss to her lips.  
  
"Keep your window opened."  
  
"Yeah, that's a good way to keep the baddies out." She joked lightly.  
  
"I'm coming later tonight, and it'll be easier than using the front door and having your father point his gun at me."  
  
"Luke, maybe you shouldn't risk it," she whispered, her voice tingling with worry, "I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."  
  
"Just leave your window open and I won't get in trouble." He instructed.  
  
"Yeah, tell your mom I said . . ." she stopped in mid sentence and realized something, "Wait, how did your mom know I was Changing? Did you tell her?"  
  
"No, maybe she smelled the change in your scent too." He offered.  
  
Pushing her hair away from her eyes, she looked through the glass windows.  
  
"I see my babysitter is already there, so I'm going to go now."  
  
"Yeah, I just have to speak to him, and I'll be off."  
  
"Alright." She smiled heading for the door.  
  
Entering the diner, she headed straight for the cloakroom where she took off her hoodie and put on her apron. When she'd exited, Luke was gone.  
  
  
  
TBC . . .  
  
  
  
A/N: hey, so how did you like this one? I know it's short, but I didn't feel like elaborating anymore. It feels like I'm turning into Dickens, describing everything. Well I'll let you go. Happy Thanksgiving, and I hope your turkey doesn't go gobble gobble in the middle of the meal, 'cuz that would be gross. Happy Holidays and happy b-day to Kubiak, Bibi and everyone else, I'm too tired to think of their names, but they know who they are. o ^_^ o 


	14. Idiot!

. . . Sweet Dreams XIV -By Yo-yo  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: All I want for Christmas are the royalties for this show, but since those idiots cancelled it, I'd like the name and number of everyone who didn't watch, excluding me of course, and a baseball bat! Oh yeah, and I don't own this show. (  
  
  
  
A/N: Hey Guyz, I know I haven't updated since Thanksgiving, but there's been sort of a crisis, and I'm trying my best. Uh, hoped you got everything that you wanted for Christmas, and if you didn't, hoped @ least you got money, and that pony you always wanted 'cuz nobody would get me one. (  
  
Oh, I got my Permitt! Now I am an almost legal driver! Woo hoo! And uh, in 30 hours I'll be a legal driver! But my family won't let me drive yet, so basically I'm stuck w/ the bus. Boo hoo! ( I've got a lot of frowns here, so maybe I should stop while I'm down. Happy New Years and don't get into too much trouble. I need you guys alive so that u can review my fics! R&R PWEEEEEZZZ! ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BRING WOLF LAKE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
P A/N: Oh yeah, and Jamie's a vegetarian, that's why Sophia says that.  
  
  
  
. . . Sweet Dreams XIV:  
  
  
  
"So what'll you have?"  
  
"Double cheeseburger and chili fries."  
  
A smile curled her lips as she recognized the voice.  
  
"My aren't we suicidal today. So why are you suddenly craving a heart attack?"  
  
Her stormy eyes rose slowly and rested on Sophia's.  
  
"I'm wallowing."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Got dumped by a jerk, and I'm just kinda' feeling depressed."  
  
"By who?"  
  
"Joe," she sighed.  
  
"Joe?"  
  
"Yes," she snapped exasperated, "Joe Shmoe, the stupidest name in the whole world, only to be rivaled by Ivana Tinkle and Fonda Dick!"  
  
"James, I wasn't trying to mock the guy, I just wasn't sure who you were talking about. I mean Joe isn't the most distinguished name. I'm sorry, I didn't even know that you were dating."  
  
"You haven't noticed a lot of things lately," Jamie replied.  
  
She grew upset by that last comment. "And what's that supposed to mean? You know what, just because you're suffering boy problems doesn't mean you've got the right to insult me. I thought I was your best friend, not your punching bag."  
  
"Hah!" Jamie replied coldly, "Your mind has been so drowned in the essence of Cates, you haven't even had time to be a best friend!"  
  
Sophia glanced up at Sean, and sure enough her was looking right back at her with a grin on his face.  
  
"That's not fair!"  
  
"You know what's not fair, when your best friend says to you after you get dumped that she didn't even know you had a boyfriend," she paused to take a breath and blink back the tears, "If you'd managed to return to the surface and get a breath of air, you might not be so stressed out. You might even know when your quote unquote best friend needs help."  
  
"Look Jamie, I'm sorry I haven't been so deeply involved in your so called life, but I'm not going to get into this with you. You're upset about Joe, and you're just trying to get out your frustration on me."  
  
"No Sophia, for the first time I'm sure," she said sarcastically, "you're wrong! I've been frustrated with you for the past month and a half. You're distant, you've been losing weight, you're sick all the time and suddenly you and Luke Cates are all buddy buddy. I don't know who in the hell you are anymore, and this new you scares me! Tell me what in the hell's going on with you!  
  
"You used to tell me everything, even when Michael* came to visit and you were feeling particularly bitchy. Now all I'm getting from you is an occasional hi and goodbye. It's like we're fucking strangers or something!" Jamie vented.  
  
"I'm sorry," she muttered, her head dipped in shame. Jamie was right; she had been acting really strangely lately, and was giving no explanation as to why.  
  
"Why weren't you in school today?"  
  
"I had a late night last night, and my Dad decided I should stay home."  
  
"Your Dad wouldn't do that. Sheriff Donner wouldn't let his kid break the rules unless imperative, so why weren't you in school today?"  
  
"I can't tell you right now, because it's not my information to divulge, but when I get the ok I will."  
  
"What, are you working for the damn CIA or something? It's a simple question, why in the hell weren't you in school today?"  
  
"Jamie, stop yelling at me! I get that you're majorly pissed, but I can't tell yo-"  
  
"Hey, I'd hate to break up this catfight, but can I place my order?" Sean interrupted, his eyes flashing gold as he regarded Sophia.  
  
"Yeah, sorry, what will you have?"  
  
"A steak, extra rare and a Coke."  
  
"Coming right up," she smiled to him with a thankful look flashing in her eyes.  
  
"Luke wasn't in school either." Jamie commented after Sean left.  
  
"Really?" Sophia asked keeping her eyes on the counter.  
  
"Yeah, in fact all the 'Hill' kids suspected that you both were together. Skipping school for other reasons."  
  
"Well the 'Hill' kids should mind their own business I was alone and tha-"  
  
"I'm not going to take this," Jamie sighed standing up, "If you're going to lie about it, go ahead, I don't care anymore. Go find another friend that will cater to that, 'cuz I'm not. Bye."  
  
"Jamie!" Sophia called after her, but she just kept walking away.  
  
Watching her climb into her father's black SUV, Sophia sighed inwardly.  
  
*Great, just great! I get into a fight with my best friend, I'm grounded, I can't decide if I want to be with Luke or not, and I get the babysitter of my nightmares watching my ass! Yay for me!*  
  
"That's why you don't make friends with Ungulates. Ask too many questions, too curious," Sean drawled lazily as he sat on a stool by the counter.  
  
"Shut up, it's your fault anyway that she's mad at me."  
  
"Did you listen to her at all, she was mad that you weren't paying any attention to her. It had nothing to do with me. In fact, the name Sean was never once brought up in the conversation."  
  
"Not you in your person, but the 'Hill' kids were heard to be spreading a rumor about their beloved Alpha and the pathetic Half-breed."  
  
"Hey, just because the 'Hill' kids were spreading this rumor doesn't mean that I had anything to do with it."  
  
"Oh please, you probably knew that I was there and you told them." She scowled passing him his steak and Coke.  
  
"Maybe, but I can't be held responsible for what they think. Is it my fault that the situation was just a little skeptical."  
  
"God Sean, you've just ruined my relationship with my one and only friend! Thanks a lot."  
  
"What about Luke?" he asked smiling suggestively, "I'm sure he's your friend."  
  
"No," she sighed wiping down the counter without looking at him, "he's your friend."  
  
Sitting up straight, Sean regarded her with a serious look on his face. "Sophia what really is going on with you and Luke."  
  
Looking up from her job, her eyes narrowed, "Oh, you really think I'm that stupid huh?"  
  
"Sophia . . ." he sighed.  
  
"Look Sean, there is nothing going on between Luke and I, and if there was I certainly wouldn't tell you. So go and tell that to the Wolf Lake Sewing Circle, I'm sure they'd like to hear about that."  
  
"Well I hate to tell you this Sophia, but Luke certainly thinks there is something going on."  
  
"How would you know?" she groaned halting all movement to stare at him.  
  
"Because when you went in the back to get ready for your shift, your 'not' boyfriend threatened to kick my ass if I even laid a finger on you. He said something like if I valued my life and my status in the pack I wouldn't lay a single finger on you, or hurt you in any way. And the look on his face wasn't one of mockery, I almost wet my pants at how dangerous he looked."  
  
"What?" she asked, her brown eyes wide with shock.  
  
"Luke obviously thinks it's much more than nothing."  
  
"Oh my God, I am gunna' so kick his ass! He's acting as if he owns me or something! God, when I see him, he's gunna' wish that he'd never even met me! God I hate him!"  
  
"Be careful Sophia, hate is a very strong word," he said with his eyes twinkling.  
  
"And yet it applies." She replied, her teeth clenched in frustration.  
  
*I haven't even decided if I want to be with him, and he's already dictating my life. Who does he think he is trying to tell me who I can or can't touch? I swear, I haven't even Changed yet and he's already placing dibs on me! My God, how in the hell will I stand this when I become a wolf if I can't stand it now?*  
  
~***~  
  
  
  
She paced around her bedroom nervously. Every once in awhile she'd stop to scream an obscenity before continuing her angry rampage.  
  
Usually at every outburst Sean would come to the door and ask if she were all right. But after the last time where she threw a ceramic bauble at his head and missed by only a mere four inches, he decided to leave her alone. From the latter and what she'd done to Luke the day before the party (when she threw him into a group of freshmen), he really didn't want to mess with an angry Sophia.  
  
"That stupid idiot . . . thinks he owns me . . . threatening people . . . Who in the hell does he think he is? . . .kick his ass I will . . . I'll make him howl at the moon . . ."  
  
Sean leaned against the doorframe, and listened to her insane rants. They'd been going on all night. Ever since he'd told her about Luke's "warning", she'd been muttering, and broadcasting, her outrage under her breath. She was really pissed at Luke. A couple of times he'd even heard her threaten to cut off his yarbles (balls) when he returned.  
  
He heard her halt, and then the faint voice of Luke entered his head saying,  
  
'Thanks for watching her, but I've got her now. Come to school early tomorrow morning and I'll fill you in on what happened at the meeting.'  
  
'Bye,' Sean replied and left the Donner residence.  
  
~***~  
  
  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you?" were the first words he heard as he entered Sophia's room through the window.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Threatening Sean before you went to the meeting," she replied, the anger dripping thickly from her lips, "I'm not yours ya' know!"  
  
*But you will be!*  
  
"I-" he began but got no further.  
  
"God! And now the Skinwalkers think there's something between us. They think we've skipped school together," she glared at him with unnaturally hazel eyes and shoved him back, "And now you've confirmed their story by threatening Sean and-"  
  
"Is that such a bad thing?" he interrupted as he moved closer to her.  
  
"Yes!" she yelled, then seeing the hurt in his eyes, hers softened and she whispered, "No, it's just," she let out a small, frustrated sigh as she searched for the words that would help him understand, but not hurt his feelings. "It's just now he's going to tell his friends, and soon everyone will have heard on the grapevine that the big, invincible Alpha has fallen for the insignificant, stupid zoo-bait Half-Breed. I don't want that on your reputation, and I don't want it on mine."  
  
"Ya' know Sophie that I don't care what they think. They could think I'm gay and have an insane obsession with pink boas, I don't care. Just as long as what I'm doing makes me happy."  
  
"And does it?" she whispered, her voice trembling.  
  
Luke looked down into her eyes. They were wide like saucers, with a look of desperation projecting from their chocolaty depths.  
  
"Do you mean does this, us, make me happy?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
He leaned forward and placed a kiss to her temple. "Us being together makes me happier than you'll ever know. It makes me want to howl at the moon every night and day. It makes me want to hold you in my arms forever, not asking for anything more, must to be with you in your arms. Being with you makes everything possible."  
  
She didn't say anything as she looked away from his eyes. They were sparkling with the truth of his words. She rested her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes as she pondered over his words. He could feel her body mold into his ass he stepped closer as if in need of his warmth.  
  
"What is it?" he whispered into her hair, gently stroking her back.  
  
As if she didn't hear him she brought her hands under his arms and stretched her palms over his back muscles bringing him closer.  
  
"What is it?" he repeated, bringing his arms around her waist and placing kisses in her hair.  
  
She wanted to tell Luke how she felt. She wanted him to understand why she was so . . . unaffected by his signs of affection, but she didn't know how. How could someone tell the person that they love that they couldn't be with them because of the constant looks from other people? How could someone justify leaving a loved one just because they didn't like being scrutinized by the public eye? How could someone knowingly give up that life for someone else? Would he even understand? Would he love her enough to give up his Alpha status just for her? Did he even love her?  
  
"Nothing," she sighed, hoping he couldn't hear the trembling in her voice, "I'm just tired, let's just go to sleep."  
  
"Ok," he drawled taking her hand.  
  
Carefully leading her to the bed, he let her get in first before he followed her.  
  
As they sunk down into the familiar warmth of Sophia's bed, they both felt a wave of lethargy drench them both. Casually placing his arms around her waist, he gently massaged her stomach muscles as soon as he felt the first wave of tremors wrack her small frame.  
  
~***~  
  
  
  
Suddenly she was running. She didn't know why, and she didn't know where to, but she was running as fast as her legs could carry her.  
  
Her senses were heightened dramatically. And then she knew what she was running from. Although she couldn't actually see them, she could taste them on her tongue, feel them on her skin, hear the beating of their many heartbeats pounding in her ears, and smell each individual.  
  
Before her she could see the beginnings of a forest, but not the Wolf Lake Forest. Not one that she'd known intimately since she was little. This forest was foreign to her. She could run on for hours and not know what was coming up next. In fact she didn't even know what was on the other side.  
  
Springing towards the entrance of the forest, she suddenly felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. She'd hit something solid so hard that she could hear and feel a couple of her ribs cracking from the momentum.  
  
She felt her body drop to the ground, pathetically as she tried to remain conscious. After many long moments of waiting for the darkness to dissolve, she shook her head of all it's dizziness and proceeded to stand.  
  
She was at the entrance of the forest. She could see deep inside, where the trees grew thick and a heavy mist bathed the forest floor, but as she tried to proceed into the unknown place, some unknown force kept an invisible barricade between the two worlds.  
  
Turning in the direction from which she'd come, her eyes grew wide with surprised mixed with fear. Before her was a large pack of wolves standing in a makeshift cresent shape. They were led by a beautiful white wolf whose pelt shimmered like a star at night.  
  
Coming forward, the wolf bared her razor-sharp teeth and stared into Sophia's eyes. In return, Sophia stared back, seeing the pure hatred that swelled from the wolf's breast and touched her on her skin making goosebumps protrude her once smooth skin. The wolf's eyes were the color of liquid gold, sloshing back and forward in a see-through glass. The rims of her irises were hinted with brown and in her pupils were tiny reflections of the moon.  
  
Sophia recognized this wolf. This was the same one that haunted her dreams every night. This was the same one that she painted in order for the pain to subside. This was the same one that urged her to run at night. It pressed her to throw the wretched covers from her feverish body, and come dance under the blanket of the night with the stars and moon. This was the same wolf that implored her to believe that Luke was her mate. This was the same wolf that moaned whenever Luke whispered those sweet nothings in her ears, she ached whenever he brushed his fingertips over her skin and she growled whenever he placed his lips on her flesh.  
  
Suddenly the wolf lunged forward, and before Sophia could feel the excruciating pain of her skin being torn into and her muscles and ligaments being torn away, she found herself sitting completely upright in her bed, her heart racing and her breathing labored.  
  
"What is it Sophia, what is it?" Luke muttered groggily as he sat up in the bed.  
  
"My nightmares are back!" she answered, her eyes wide with disbelief.  
  
  
  
TBC. . .  
  
  
  
A/N: that didn't sound like much of a cliffhanger, but who cares. I wrote an outline for the story, so it'll be a lot easier to write b/c I already know what's going to happen. I'm stopping @ 21 chappys, so I've got 6 more to write. Uh, hope that you like this one, and please review; I don't want to close this story w/ only a few reviews.  
  
W/ luv, Yo-yo 


	15. He Knows

. . . Sweet Dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake, but that's what I tell the nice men who bundle me in the pretty white jacket and take me to the magical room with the padded walls! Hee hee! Hey, there goes 2-Pac, Elvis and Alliyah! Man, if only I were allowed a pen, I would so get their autographs! o^_^o  
  
A/N: I guess I should comment on my last chappie b/c I got a couple of comments on that one. Ppl said that Sophia was acting out of character then b/c of the way she explained her feelings to Luke, or didn't, I'll have to re-read it to remember if she actually told him how she "felt". Uh, but the thing is, Sophia actually wasn't acting out of character, she was acting out of fear. She didn't even care about the whole being in the center crowd thingy, she was rationalizing. She had no real reason to doubt Luke; he hadn't cheated on her since the incident w/ Prestly, he was constantly there for her, and he told her that he felt something very strongly for her.  
  
Love scares some people and Sophia needed something to blame her doubt on. She doesn't know what to do with it. She isn't even sure of her own status w/ Luke, they haven't even decided if they wanted to be bf and gf yet. They're un-labelable and unsure yet of what's even happening. She doesn't know if she wants to be with him the way that Vivian put it, and she's scared that Luke thinks she does. She doesn't want to hurt his feelings, but she's lost.  
  
Her whole inner-speech about not being like them and not wanting to be in that crowd was all rationalization. She's trying to convince herself that that's the real reason she's running away from him. That his being the Alpha is the real reason why she can't be with him; too afraid to admit that the reason that she can't be with him is b/c she's so in love with him that she's afraid to be with him. ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BRING WOLF LAKE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
. . . Sweet Dreams XV:  
  
  
  
Patting down the perfect curls, she studied herself in the mirror.  
  
It had been two weeks.  
  
Two weeks since the floodgates had opened. Two weeks since the mourning had begun. Two weeks since the pain of his death had crashed down on her perfect world and shattered it into a million jagged pieces. It'd taken her tow weeks to gather each wretched slice, determined to move past it no matter how swollen her fingers became and how deep the tiny shards cut into her flesh.  
  
After two weeks of being lost in the deep fog of that night, she'd finally resurfaced, seeing the light of day. She was finally ready to take on the responsibility of Alpha. She was ready to lead the Pack out of the darkness, towards the new day, where the unfailing moon would eradicate their fears of the night.  
  
Smoothing out the minute wrinkle in her lavender blouse, she smiled at her reflection. No matter how wide her eyes looked outlined in the dark pencil, or how tantalizing her lips looked painted in the red lipstick, her eyes were still unusually faded and transparent as they stared back at her. her lips were still curled up into an awkward smile that didn't quite reach those blank eyes.  
  
Placing her keys in her purse, she departed from the reflection and wrapped a sweater around her shoulders. Grabbing her cell phone from the table, she exited the house.  
  
Entering the sleek black Mercedes, she placed her hands at ten and two and mentally prepared herself for the trails of the day. Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, she ignited the ignition. Turning her body to peer behind her, she carefully backed out of the driveway.  
  
~***~  
  
Wendy Snow . . . born July 9, 1975 . . . died December 8, 1990 . . .  
  
Marco Chico . . . born April 16, 1915 . . . died May 12, 1932 . . .  
  
Anthony Edwards . . . born September 2, 1965 . . . died January 15, 1978 . . .  
  
Brandon Phillips . . . born October 8, 1919 . . . died March 11, 1934 . . .  
  
Jaclyn Smith . . . born February 14, 1985 . . . died February 15, 2001 . . .  
  
The gentle breeze whispered past her, carefully cradling her in it's cool arms on such a warm day, comforting her. Her long wisps of hair lifted gently and fluttered around her like butterflies.  
  
It was the perfect day, way too perfect to be cooped up in a stuffy classroom filled with boisterous teenagers.  
  
And here she sat, on the warm grass, studying the large grey slabs, wondering if this too were her fate. There were so many of them, like her, yet not like her. they too were destined to live out their adult life in pelt. they too were destined to run under the moon and stars and hunt from the plentiful earth. They too were destined to howl at the full moon, praising her beauty and eminence. They too were destined to mate with those of their kind and dance with their pups at night. They too were supposed to live the perpetual life of the wolf, and pass on the legacy of their people, but they didn't make it.  
  
Only the strongest made it. It was Darwin's theory of natural selection- only the strongest survived- and these had not.  
  
The dates on the dismal stones ranged from the ages of thirteen years to seventeen- only one eighteen.  
  
It was her last year to Change, and she knew it was rapidly approaching. The last two weeks had been horrible. Even with Luke lying beside her, soothingly messaging her abdominal muscles, the pain intensified every night, sometimes making her cry out with tears in her eyes. She'd tried those new heated pad designed to calm the cramps during menstruation cycles, but they did nothing but increased the degree of heat that scorched her sweat drenched skin. She'd stayed up the last couple of nights, letting Luke try to soothe her with his sweet words and luscious lips, but nothing worked. Her body was getting closer and closer to the inevitable Change, and nothing now could subside the symptoms.  
  
"Where do we go?/ Nobody knows,/ I've got to say,/ I'm on my way . . . down,/ God give me style and give me grace,/ God put a smile upon ma' face . . ./ Where do we go to draw the line?/ I've got to say I've wasted all- your time . . . honey honey . . ./ Where do I go to fall from grace?/ God put a smile upon your face . . ."  
  
Coldplay's words swam in her head as she wondered what had brought her away from the mundane ritual of a boring day of school to this small hill, overlooking the hundreds of teenagers who'd once wondered the same thing.  
  
They were the same as she, destined to be a wolf, and sadly, they were all different. They may have died becoming a wolf, but at the most they suffered from the symptoms for maybe two weeks, not two months. They didn't have to endure the excruciating pain of their insides being ripped apart because the human in them couldn't accommodate the wolf. Their bodies had been quip for this type of transformation since they were in the womb, and yet hers didn't know how to react to the foreign pieces of DNA.  
  
What if she didn't make it? How would her father react when he realized it was his DNA mixed with her mother's that had weakened her fight against the wolf and was the cause of her demise? How would he live with himself? Would he blame himself . . . her . . . Luke?  
  
Pushing her hair out of her face, she brought her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees as she peered out over the vast expanse of land, reserved for the dead.  
  
~***~  
  
*Where in the Hell was she?* he groaned.  
  
Searching through the multitude of hormone ridden teens, he hadn't spotted her at all today.  
  
He'd asked her best friend Jamie where she was, but the small little Ungulate just glared at him and turned her back. The dirty look that she gave him almost chilled his spine. He'd tried asking other of her Ungulate friends, but they answered him with the same bone tingling glare.  
  
They were mad at her, but why, he didn't care to find out.  
  
"Mr. Cates?"  
  
"Huh?" he asked, his green eyes wide as he broke from his silent reverie.  
  
"Could you please answer the question?"  
  
"What's the question again Professor Long?"  
  
"Why won't the water overflow if the glass was filled to the brim with ice water?"  
  
"Because water is the only substance whose molecules actually contract when heated and expand when frozen. Therefore, the water molecules will move closer together and the water won't spill over the edge."  
  
"Right," Professor Long smiled turning back to the rest of the class.  
  
After the bell rang, letting out the class period, he exited the school from the front doors and made his way towards the Donner's residence.  
  
~***~  
  
Carefully maneuvering the car through traffic, she skillfully made her way towards her destination. Driving down the familiar road, she felt her skin jump at the strident scream of her cell phone.  
  
Bringing the car to a complete stop at the red light, she flipped open the diminutive device and answered,  
  
"Hello, Vivian Cates speaking."  
  
"Hello Mrs. Cates, this is Wolf Lake High School calling to inform you about Mr. Lucas Cates . . ."  
  
*What did he do this time?*  
  
" . . . Mrs. Cates, we realized that your family has just gone through a devastating loss, but I was calling to inform you that we have rules that all parents are expected to follow . . . without fail. If Lucas is going to be missing class you must sign out with the office on that day. If you do not, Lucas will be labeled as skipping school and will have a week's detention, including a Saturday."  
  
Sighing, she placed her left hand on the wheel and smoothly accelerated as she listened to the crisp voice on the other end.  
  
"I'm sorry Ms. Um . . ."  
  
"Ms. Emery," she offered.  
  
"I'm sorry Ms. Emery. Luke called me telling me he didn't feel good this morning, so I picked him up from outside. I'm sorry I didn't sign him out on the office, but I was late for a meeting, and didn't even think to go in. I'm sorry," she replied making a U-turn.  
  
"By any chance will you be calling Sheriff Donner about Sophia's absence also?" she asked curtly as she began on her new objective, the Wolf Lake Sheriff's Department.  
  
This was going to have to stop. And now!  
  
"Yes actually," the lady answered, her voice lighter as she realized that Mrs. Cates knew of the matter.  
  
"Well it seems I've been particularly bad at remembering my obligations this morning," Vivian began with a light lift to her own voice in mock delight, "I was supposed to call in and report that Sophia would not be entering today because of some bug. It seems the same thing that Luke seems to have caught. Sheriff Donner has been on the night shift for the past two weeks, and actually today he'll be there all day so he couldn't call, he'd asked me to do it for him."  
  
"Well thank you Mrs. Cates, just tell Sheriff Donner to send in a signed note with Sophia tomorrow morning and everything will be fine."  
  
"Thank you Ms. Emery for calling. Have a nice day."  
  
"You too Mrs. Cates, goodbye," she smiled before hanging up the phone.  
  
Folding the tiny piece of plastic, she tossed it into the passengers seat and sped towards the Sheriff's Department.  
  
For the last month and a half she had to deal with the deceit of looking Matthew Donner in the eyes and not telling him the most important thing in his own daughter's life. For a month and a half she had to carry the weight of this news without telling anyone because Sophia wanted to tell her Dad first. For a month she'd sat on her own conscience and not told him anything, giving his daughter an ample amount of time to reveal herself . . . but she was too late. She'd taken too much time, and now the truth had to be revealed.  
  
The past two weeks were pure Hell for Vivian. She knew where Luke went late at night after he snuck out of his bedroom window. She knew from where he'd returned every morning with an exhausted look sketching his features. And she knew where he was now: skipping a day of school to be with her.  
  
Screeching to a halt in front of the small building, she turned off the car and gathered her belongings. Exiting the car, she clicked on the alarm and proceeded towards the front doors of the building.  
  
~***~  
  
"How did you find me?" she whispered as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders protectively.  
  
"I followed my nose . . ." after a moments pause, he added, "Now don't I sound like the pelican from the Fruit Loops commercial?"  
  
"Yeah," she sighed leaning back in his arms.  
  
A few moments of silence followed where they both gazed around them. Finally,  
  
"What brought you here?"  
  
"I'm not sure," she sighed again, "I feel really exhausted, and I just . . . I don't know . . ."  
  
"Does he know yet?" he whispered placing a few kisses in her hair.  
  
"He does now," she sighed slumping against him and closing her eyes.  
  
They sat like that in complete silence for a couple of moments. Finally after too much silence he untangled himself from the sitting position, lifted himself up, and looked down at her.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"C'mon," he said putting out her hand in order to help her up.  
  
"What?"  
  
"C'mon, I want to show you something," he smiled when she'd finally accepted and stood up.  
  
Walking to the Jeep, he helped her into the passenger's seat before he walked to the other side and got in.  
  
"Man this is different from the last time I got in here. Last time you practically threw me in."  
  
"Yeah well if I didn't, you would have."  
  
Driving along the deserted road, he twisted and turned expertly along the familiar road. He drove so smoothly that it was as if they weren't on road at all, instead on some fluffy white clouds, flying through the air.  
  
Finally once into a secret passage of the forest, he stopped under a large brush of trees.  
  
"Luke?" she whispered turning to look him in the eye.  
  
"This place helps me to cool down. It's a good place to just think sometimes, and I thought maybe it would do the same for you."  
  
"Thanks," she whispered, the poetic silence of the place finally catching up to her, making her afraid to disrupt the spell.  
  
~***~  
  
"Look Donner, I love your kid like my own, but she's got to shape up. I've tried to keep this in, I've tried not to let this get to me, but it's just taking too long. She must accept her responsibilities."  
  
"What are you talking about?" he asked standing up from his seat and leading Vivian away from his associates and pulled her into his office.  
  
"Sophia. Do you remember the last time that she was at my house? The first time actually, when she spent the night-"  
  
"You knew!? She told me you didn't know she was there!"  
  
"God Matt, how dumb can you be? How can I not know that she wasn't?"  
  
"She is so gunna' pay for this," he groaned, his mind reeling.  
  
"Ya' wanna' know the reason why she can't sleep, and has been so sick lately? She isn't stressed out, she doesn't have a bug, and she doesn't have whatever else BS she told you . . . Sophia's pregnant, and Luke's the father."  
  
"What?!" Donner exploded, his eyes flashing yellow as he felt his nails lengthen and his teeth sharpen. This was the last time he'd been so close to Changing was when Marie was killed.  
  
"Where in the hell is he?" Donner sneered, his eyes burning holes through Vivian.  
  
His flashing eyes didn't intimidate her, instead hers were burning His.  
  
"He's with her, they both skipped school today."  
  
"Do you know where they are?"  
  
"No idea," she sighed finally looking away.  
  
"I'm leaving," he groaned grabbing his jacket from behind her and exiting the room.  
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
"What must be done," he growled before slamming the door of the building.  
  
"Don't hurt her," she whispered, "He loves her."  
  
~***~  
  
"Thanks Luke, I had a great time," she smiled placing a kiss to his cheek and turning towards home.  
  
"See ya' tomorrow," he smiled from the car.  
  
"Yea, if my Dad doesn't kill me first," she smiles, but then it turns to a frown, it's too close to the truth.  
  
"Bye," she whispered walking up the walkway to the front door.  
  
Fumbling with her keys, she finally opened the front door and entered the house. Walking into the sitting room, she caught a strange sight. Sitting in the laz-e-boy with a dangerous look on his face sat her father with a cigarette between his lips and a butt in an ashtray beside him.  
  
"Hi Dad-" she said before she saw his eyes flash liquid gold . . .  
  
TBC . . .  
  
A/N: hey, so how do you like 'dem apples? R&R pweez! 


	16. Deafening Silence

. . . Sweet Dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake, and if I did, well there'd be boyz @ my skool, and well, I'd get to kill my Jesus class (aka Theology) teacher b/c he's so boring and sarcastic and won't shut up! We're not ten, we don't need a review on stuff that we never even bothered to learn last semester.  
  
  
  
A/N: I'm multi tasking right now. I'm typing a story, washing my clothes, mentally preparing myself for a 2k race tomorrow morning, trying not to sneeze out a lung or cough up my colon, and trying to rest so I'm not too tired tomorrow (about the coughing and sneezing, I've got a cold, and not even one of the good ones! My nose is never stuffy b/c I keep sneezing out like all of my major organs).  
  
I'm happy, except for my new skool schedule, it sux! N e wayz, so far I've passed all my finals w/ A&Bs, so I'm happy o ^_^ o! Although Ceramics was a bit of a slide (yeah I know, it's sad that I can't pass Ceramics, but I'm not good @ that sort of thing. I can paint and draw, but I can't put anything together). Hope uz all passed your classes and you don't die of burn out. For you juniors (like me) don't catch senioritis just yet, although I'm pretty sure I've been coming down w/ the symptoms since freshwoman year (yeah, all girls prisons call it freshwomen; isn't that cute?) o ^_^ o! And seniors, go to a really good college, and then help me get in, 'cuz I don't do homework, so my GPA ain't as good as I'd like it.  
  
P.A/N: Hey tygrlou, thanks for alienating everyone b4, I'm sure they enjoyed it. I agreed w/ your last statement, and uh, try to keep up w/ our non-sensical conversations @ lunch, it's really sad when you don't add in input about that guy w/ the stuff and the whole thing, it makes us feel as though you have no idea what we're talking about. Lol. o ^_^ o! Everyone else: inside joke.  
  
P. P. A/N: Guyz, pray that I finish my race tomorrow. W/ luv, Yo-yo. ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!!BRING WOLF LAKE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
. . . Sweet Dreams XVI:  
  
  
  
"Hi Dad-" she began but before she could finish her statement, he'd jumped from his seat, and extinguished the cigarette; his eyes still flashing liquid gold.  
  
"What in the hell is wrong with you?" he sneered, his stance intimidating her.  
  
The way that his nostrils flared and his eyes flickered as they regarded her so keenly, she almost forgot who she was. Taking a moment to avert her eyes and collect herself, she tried to answer his hostile question with as much civility that she could muster.  
  
"Nothing, I- when did you start smoking?" she asked interjecting into her own sentence.  
  
"I don't know- when did you start skipping school to hang out with Luke Cates, an infamous scoundrel of a boy, who you already know I despise?"  
  
"Dad?"  
  
"When did you start hiding very eminent information, life altering information, from your own father?"  
  
"I'm sorry Dad. I just . . . I didn't know how to tell you . . . I was so scared and-"  
  
"-And it was better for me to hear it from the lips of Vivian Cates?"  
  
"She told you?" she asked staring at her father in obvious astonishment.  
  
"Yes, she also told me about how you and Luke spent the night together that night at the Mansion, with her knowledge. She said she tried so hard to respect your wishes and keep her mouth shut, but your actions were irresponsible and you finally had to own up to them. Vivian was just as angry as I am right now," he explained, his dangerous air still permeating around her.  
  
"Dad I-"  
  
"How long?"  
  
"Two, almost three months."  
  
"God Sophia, how stupid can you be?"  
  
As soon as the words escaped the confines of his lips he'd regretted them. The way that her face fell, an ashened look glazing over in her eyes as she looked back at him, silent tears threatening to spill from them. Her mouth hung open as if to say something, but no sound would emit; the shock so great.  
  
"Look Sophia, I'm sorry about that, I had no right, but God, do you know how angry this makes me?"  
  
"I'm sorry Dad, I know what you must be feeling and what you were going through. I know how-"  
  
"Do you really Sophia? Do you really know how much you've hurt me?"  
  
"Dad, I know that you're disappointed in me, I shouldn't have-"  
  
"Do you really know how disappointed I am? God, do you know how hard your mother and I fought to keep you away from that kind of life? Do you know what we went through to be with each other, to have you, to protect you? Do you know the strain it put on our marriage, on our whole lives to keep you away from the 'Hill' kids and everyone else in Wolf Lake who was a Skinwalker?"  
  
"I'm not trying to undo what you and Mom did. I just needed time, needed space, and needed a quiet place to think, without any distractions. I needed to put my thoughts in order, I needed to rearrange my life, and I needed to do it by myself.  
  
"So by yourself consists of you and Luke?"  
  
"It wasn't planned. He just showed up there," she sighed, "he was worried about me."  
  
"Yeah, and so was I? I don't get it Sophia, you know how important you are to me, and how scared I am now that your mother is gone, and yet you persist in going everywhere without my knowledge, you persist in hanging around boys that I don't approve of, you persist on doing things that will ruin your life, and when I asked Jamie this morning where you were, she said she didn't know or care because you guys weren't friends anymore. What's with that?"  
  
"It's complicated Dad," she whispered, trying not to think about Jamie atop all her other problems.  
  
"Well un-complicate it. Tell me what the hell is going on! I mean, how could you let this happen? Did you think of the ramifications? How could you do this, your life was so promising?"  
  
"Dad, I didn't do anything and I didn't let anything happen . . . it just did."  
  
"What, did he force himself on you?"  
  
"What? Who?"  
  
"Luke? Did he do this to you? Did he rape you?"  
  
"What are you talking about? Luke would never rape me. What are you talking about?"  
  
"I'm talking about my sixteen-year-old daughter being pregnant with Luke Cates baby."  
  
"What?!" she gasped in a mixture of confusion and surprised. She having sex and getting pregnant, that was impossible, well not literally, but at this particular time, yeah.  
  
Calming down, she looked at her father's steamed figure again. Taking a deep breath, she asked him to repeat himself.  
  
"I said, 'my sixteen-year-old daughter being pregnant with Luke Cates baby,'" he replied.  
  
"Where did you hear that?" she asked, her face still stricken with confusion.  
  
"Vivian Cates. Do you know how embarrassing it is to be told by the Pack Leader that your own daughter is pregnant?"  
  
"I could imagine since it isn't true," she answered him, her muscles relaxing as she realized that he didn't know yet.  
  
"It isn't?" he asked, his eyes now wide with surprise.  
  
"No it isn't," she smiled pushing back her hair and looking at her Dad with relieved look on her beautiful features.  
  
"Then what were we arguing about? What was it that you were going to tell me sooner, but you were scared?" he asked, considerably more calm, yet still vigilant of the eminence of her response.  
  
"I'm not pregnant Dad," she said quietly, her eyes moving to look at a selected spot on the carpet with an old grape juice stain, ". . . I'm Changing."  
  
"What, I didn't catch that," he said, wishing to the Moon that he'd just heard her wrong.  
  
Shifting her stance so that all her weight that been transferred to one of her hips, she ruffled back her long hair, still averting his eyes and repeated herself,  
  
"I'm not pregnant Dad, I'm Changing."  
  
With her heightened senses, she could hear his heartbeat begin to thump rapidly; she could smell the anger wafting from his tall, strong frame only a few feet away; she could feel it's waves touch her on her skin, making goose bumps protrude her skin and a wave of cold flush her body; she could taste the bitter taste of his anger on her lips, making a wave of nausea douse her face, making sweat pour from her over-heated pores.  
  
She could feel every iota of his anger, the only thing that she refused to do was see it. If she saw it, that meant it was real. If it were real, then she wouldn't know what to do or say. He was right, he had done a lot for her, and she didn't know what to do to make this all right. He'd fought way too hard for this to happen.  
  
"Dad, say something."  
  
She said, the silence of the room beating on her eardrums painfully, as if trying to deafen her.  
  
"Please say something Dad, you silence is worse than anything else. Ground me, tell me if I see Luke again you'll rip his throat out, tell me that I'm not supposed to leave the house except to go to school, tell me that you'll give me one of those anklets that tells you where I am at all times, and it'll have a microphone on it so you'll know when I'm with Luke . . . Just tell me anything, tell me how you feel about this . . . Please Dad," she whispered, tears spilling from her eyes as she finally looked back up at him and saw the stony visage.  
  
No emotion could be penetrated through that look. The only sign that he was feeling something were his eyes. Their grayness now replaced by a livid gold that shown throughout the whole dark room.  
  
"Daddy, please," she pleaded, sinking down to her knees, tears still running paths down her cheeks and dropping to the carpet.  
  
"Daddy, please say something," she cried, "Tell me how disappointed you are, tell me that I'm not you daughter anymore, just please, say something!"  
  
In response to her plea, he walked around her swiftly, not even bothering to look back and exited the house.  
  
She stared after him, feeling her heart being torn into a million pieces by the one man who was meant to pick them up. Crumbling to the floor, she curled up into a tight ball, and let the pain consume her whole body, not even bothering to muffle her strident cries.  
  
  
  
~***~  
  
  
  
"Open up!" a voice ordered through the large wooden door.  
  
Sauntering quickly to comply with the command, he approached the front door of the cabin and began to open the door.  
  
Before he could even pull it open, a man burst through the front door, his eyes a livid set of golden orbs, and an air of pure rage surrounding his whole being.  
  
"Hi, Don-"  
  
"Quit the pleasantries, Blackstone," he interrupted, "How long have you known and when were you planning to tell me?"  
  
"What are you talking about Matt?"  
  
"I'm talking about the knowledge that my daughter is Changing. You know everything in this damn town, and you also know the symptoms of the Change before they even begin to materialize. You knew she was going to Change before she did."  
  
"Contrary to popular belief, I knew nothing about Sophia Changing, but I am quite glad to hear it! So do you know ho-?"  
  
"Don't Bullshit me Blackstone, I know that you knew and right now I am not in the mood to be fucked with."  
  
"Matt, it's not that bad-"  
  
"Not that bad! Yeah, I'll say it's not that bad when there's a cemetery full of kids her age who were going through the same thing. I'll say it's not that bad when I found out that she's been suffering for three whole months when the maximum is two weeks. I'll say it's not that bad when all the plans, and hopes and dreams Marie and I had for our little girl go flying out the door because the Cosmos want to fuck with our kid and stick her into the very world that we wanted her away from. It's not bad when she'll always be alienated because she's not like everyone else. Her mother was an Ungulate, a meat-girl, human, prey to our kind, she was inferior, and I fell for her. Sophia was supposed to be just like her mother. She was supposed to be flawed and weak and beautiful and . . . Sophia was supposed to be human!"  
  
"She was also supposed to be meant for the life that the Great Moon had written for her. If she is Changing, that is because she was supposed to. If she isn't weak, or human, or flawed it's because Fate has chosen her to be one of us. If she was meant to run with the pack instead of being chased by it, then it is what should be. You have tried to win this battle many times, and everyone of those times you have lost because you fail to realize it is by Fate that our people come to pass. It is by Fate that we are these great beings, meant to hunt the human kind, and protect it also. It is by Fate that our genes are created this way, and no wolf was picked by fault. No wolf is a mistake, and no wolf, no matter how much true wolf blood flows through her veins, should be taught that she was not meant, that she was a mistake, a freak of nature that should never have been."  
  
"She will not make it," Donner prophesized, "She's too weak, and there is too much human blood-"  
  
"But she also is filled with the blood of a man, who was destined to be Alpha. She has just as much Marie in her as you. None of your genes are predominant, and maybe that will save her-"  
  
"-Or maybe it will kill her," he sighed ruffling back his chocolate tresses.  
  
  
  
TBC . . .  
  
  
  
A/N: good ending right? Well R&R please.  
  
  
  
P.A/N: Well, since this took two dayz to write, I'll tell you how I did on my race. I finished last, but who cares, @ least I finished. Plus I'm like the only one there who started out as Coxswain, so I had the underhand deal anyway. Most of the ppl there have been rowing for years. You could tell b/c the boyz had really sexy chest muscles. They were really cute, and strong, and . . . I really need boyz @ my skool. Boo hoo! ( 


	17. Amigship Repaired

. . . Sweet Dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake, if I did, I wouldn't be asking my mother for $ to be buying new jeans. And then I would so totally go to boyztown and like buy up all of the 'Alley'. ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!!BRING WOLF LAKE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
. . . Sweet Dreams XVII:  
  
  
  
"Why Ms. Donner, the grungy look is very becoming," Ms. Avery smirked as Sophia hurtled to her seat.  
  
"Kiss my ass," she groaned inaudibly as she leaned over to retrieve the massive book.  
  
Ruffling back her unkempt hair, she tried to ignore the blatant stares of her classmates. Over the course of the past two weeks, they'd noticed a dramatic change in her demeanor and appearance. The entire school watched as the walls of her perfectly secure world crumble around her. Several teachers asking if everything was ok at home had even accosted her.  
  
But how could she tell them that her father hadn't spoken to her after she'd told him she was Changing? How could she rationalize his absence at dinner and breakfast without it sounding like neglect? How could she explain his avoidance without him being presented as an unfit father?  
  
"The answer Ms. Donner?"  
  
At her name, she jumped.  
  
She'd zoned out. She'd been doing that a lot lately, getting her mind caught everywhere else but in Trig.  
  
"I asked for the answer," Ms. Avery repeated, another of her smug smirks heavily painted on her face as she pointed towards the complicated problem on the board.  
  
She sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't even want to try. Ms. Avery had been on her ass for the past two weeks. Every time that Sophia'd get that glazed look in her eyes, Ms. Avery had a new problem that needed solving. Sophia didn't get it. There were only two and a half weeks of school left, and one of them would be based solely on Finals, so why should they be learning at all?  
  
Calming down, she opened her eyes and told herself to focus on Ms. Avery's lecture. Her mind was begging her to focus on the obscenely long problem written on the board, but her heart just couldn't help straying.  
  
She kept wondering what her father was doing at the moment. Was he napping or on the job? Had he eaten a healthy breakfast this morning or taken a hearty dinner last night? Did he take some of the mashed potatoes she'd prepared last night with the meatloaf and peas?  
  
For the past two weeks she tried not to think of how he'd usually pick her up after her shift at the diner or brought her to school on days when there was inclement weather. She ignored the empty laz-e-boy when she'd sit in the living room at night doing her homework, or the dismal half of the dinner table that used to be occupied by him.  
  
~***~  
  
From across the room, she couldn't help it when her eyes roamed towards the disheveled student sitting there with her head hanging down. For the last week, she'd been really worried about her. She was upset about the secrecy at first, but after seeing her slowly deteriorate before her eyes in so little span of time, the love of her best friend got the better of her and she shed the stony heart.  
  
Today she'd arrived just a moment before the bell with a scowl on her face. Her white button up blouse, blue sweater and a pair of blue jeans were decent, but her physical appearance wasn't. Her eyes were rimmed with red; they were bloodshot and looked irritated. Her skin was so pale, it looked transparent. Her skin was heavy and tangled atop her hair with more of a greasy look than a glossy look as it reflected the sun's rays.  
  
With her back hunched over, she watched as her life corroded.  
  
She felt like an idiot. She didn't want to fight anymore. She just wanted to know how she was doing. If Sophia wouldn't tell her the details, she wouldn't press. All she wanted to know was how to help her best friend.  
  
After class, she watched as Sophia trudged out of the room towards the Chemistry Lab and felt the sudden urge to run after her. She wanted to pull her sad being into a hug and tell her that everything would be ok. She wanted to place a kiss to her forehead and cry with her. She wanted Sophia to know that her being suspicious was totally stupid and that all she wanted was to know that she was ok. She wanted Sophia to hug her back and let out a watery laugh after she'd said something funny . . . but she didn't.  
  
That would be giving in, she sighed and headed towards the Chemistry Lab.  
  
~***~  
  
Abandoning her lunch at the table, she exited the room through the large glass doors and entered the Quad. Spotting a not-too-occupied section near a shady tree, she headed towards it. Settling beneath it, she closed her eyes and let her mind wander into oblivion.  
  
Everything was wrong. Her father wasn't speaking to her, Jamie was ignoring her, Sherman had recently asked her into his classroom so they could discuss the Change . . . and she still had no idea to do about Luke.  
  
Since the last confrontation she'd had with her father, Luke had always been there for her. At night when the wolf lurked just beneath the surface, plaguing her dreams and causing an odd sense of paranoia to engulf her, he still sat beside her, never giving in to a wink of sleep. Even after she'd stopped accepting his offers to hold her, he still sat with her at night, on the other side of the room while she painted.  
  
At night, with her senses heightened dramatically, she could feel his gaze grazing her skin ever so lightly. Sometimes his vigilance caused her insides to burn, but she dismissed it as mere hormones and would try desperately to keep those feelings in check. Sometimes she'd turn around and their gazes would collide. His beautiful green eyes causing her skin to heat up and her heart to race as she felt his lips press feathery kisses along her skin, his fingertips to dance lightly over her skin, and his own body carefully cradling her in his, but then she'd blink and the fantasy would dissipate. She'd look away and grab another tube of paint, anxious to keep those feelings at bay.  
  
There was no denying that she wanted him. She knew that with the simplest sweep of the lips, or brush of the fingertips or graze of the skin, she'd be moaning his name and her heart would be doing somersaults in her chest.  
  
There was no denying that she wanted him, the only problem was would she want him forever?  
  
Leaning with her back against the tree, she tried to capture a few elusive drops of sleep before the lunch bell summoned her back to the grueling shuffle of classes.  
  
~***~  
  
"Hey Kit," she smiled entering the employee's lounge.  
  
"Hey Sophia, how's it going?"  
  
"Horrible."  
  
"I can see," she smiled sadly noticing her co-worker's appearance, "Would you like me to take over your shift? You've been looking a little run down lately. I think you need a rest."  
  
"No Kit, I'm fine," she smiled waving off the nice gesture. Anxious to change the subject, she asked, "So, how's Alex?"  
  
"An asshole, but I love him," she grinned with a far-off look in her eyes.  
  
"So how long have you two been an item?"  
  
"Oh, about six months."  
  
"When is the anniversary?"  
  
"Next week at Luigi's."  
  
"Nice place."  
  
"Yeah, and expensive. I'm afraid I'm going to be footed with the bill because the doesn't have a job."  
  
"Well then just kill him then, no big deal."  
  
"Ok, but I need an extra set of fingerprints."  
  
"How 'bout Prestley's? I'm sure we can find a pair on just about any guy's appendage?"  
  
Kit laughed as she tied on her apron.  
  
"Hey Sophia, I'll meet ya' out on the floor, ok?"  
  
"Yeah," she smiled as she extracted the backpack from her shoulders.  
  
As soon as Kit left the room, Sophia's faux smile dropped. A frown marred her features giving her a scowl etched so deep in her countenance that one would wonder if she had been born like that.  
  
Pushing her hair from her face, she pulled out her clean uniform and headed for the showers. After the shower, she dried off, changed into her clothes and pulled her wet hair into a large bun at the nape of her neck.  
  
Entering the kitchen, she walked past Sam, the cook, and continued into the dining area.  
  
"You take the tables and I'll do the counter," Kit announced as she bustled past her carrying three plates laidened with food.  
  
"Yeah," she sighed leaning over the countertop, cradling her head in her hand. Kit had already tended to the people at the tables, so there was nothing left for her to do.  
  
As she patiently began to wipe down the countertop, she noticed Jamie enter the diner and propped down in a seat before her. Glancing at Sophia, Jamie said,  
  
"I'll have an order of fries and a diet Coke."  
  
"Sorry, you'll have to wait for Kit to take your order, this counter is not in my jurisdiction."  
  
"Well then I'm in a booth-"  
  
"But you're not in a booth, you're sitting on a stool at the counter, therefore I cannot serve you. You must wait for Kit."  
  
"Look Sophia, I'm not here to fight. In fact, I'm tired of fighting, I'm tired of hating you, I'm tired of trying to pretend that I don't care for you. I don't really care what's going on right now. All I care about is you. You don't have to tell me what's wrong, just please, tell me how I can make it better?"  
  
"There's nothing going on, nothing that you can help make better," Sophia replied, her eyes glued to the countertop.  
  
"How much weight have you lost?" Jamie whispered.  
  
"Twenty pounds," Sophia sighed still not looking up into her eyes.  
  
"Have you been sleeping?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"I'm worried about you. Everyday you come to school and you look half dead, I'm not sure what to think or do. I tried to stay mad at you from our argument, but God, I just couldn't. I knew it was stupid of me. When I heard that Luke's Dad had died, you can't imagine how awful I felt. I'd blown up at you for no reason. I knew how close your family was with the Cate's and I knew that you wanted to respect them, but I was so stupid. Why did I even consider the 'Hill' kid's conversation about you two to be true? I was so stupid, and I'm really sorry for doubting you.  
  
"Do you forgive me?"  
  
"How do I know that next time you won't leave me again? I'm alone now Jamie, I've got no one. I can't have you skipping out on me every time that you get an inkling of suspicion."  
  
"I'll make a pact with you: whatever you don't want to tell me, I can't push. No matter what, I'm not allowed to get mad."  
  
"Do you promise?"  
  
"On Josh Hartnett's life," she smiled taking Sophia's hand.  
  
"Deal."  
  
"Ok, so in honor of out renewed friendship, how's about we celebrate by going to a party?"  
  
"Jamie," she groaned rolling her eyes.  
  
"C'mon. Angela is having an end of the year bash at 'Gold Dust' and she invited everyone. It'll be cool. There will be plenty of guys there who could totally rival Luke's good looks."  
  
"Funny," she sighed.  
  
"So will you come?"  
  
"I don't know," she sighed, "I just have to ask my Dad."  
  
"Ok, he'll agree. I mean you're with me. . ."  
  
"It's not that easy James. My dad and I aren't on the greatest terms. I'm still grounded and we had a fight a couple of weeks ago, we're not talking."  
  
"Well ask him after you get him liquored up or something. Tell him you'll clean the house, whatever. Just come." She pleaded, her Mediterranean eyes darkening.  
  
"I'll see what I can do. . ."  
  
~***~  
  
Entering the dark domicile, she made her way towards her bedroom routinely. Changing into something more comfortable, she brought her book bag out to the sitting room and began to do her homework.  
  
In the middle of her History, as she was just beginning a DBQ on the major reasons for the USA's interference in WWII, her father entered from the back door.  
  
Following his bowed figure with her eyes, she noticed how ragged he looked. His skin was pale and his eyes were bloodshot as if he hadn't been getting any sleep. He trudged through the room as if not noticing her and continued to his own room.  
  
When she heard the soft thud of his bedroom door closing, she lifted herself from the seat and followed him.  
  
Tapping on his door, she waited for the rustling inside to cease before she began,  
  
"Hey Dad, I wanted to know if I could go to a party? You remember that little tiff that Jamie and I had, well we repaired it and I wanted to know if I could go? It's a celebration of our amig-ship. Uh, it's at the 'Gold Dust' and you know that place is ok, so uh, can I go?" she babbled.  
  
Her question was followed by silence where she distinctly heard a heavy sigh escape his lips.  
  
"Can I go?"  
  
Still, no reply.  
  
"Dad?"  
  
Then suddenly his footsteps pounded on the floor as he approached the door. Before she could apologize, the door flung open and he marched out of the house leaving her all alone.  
  
~***~  
  
Exiting the building, he kept wracking his brain trying to find some vestige in his memory to validify her avoidance of him.  
  
Had he done something wrong? Was she still pissed that he still hung with Prestley? She couldn't be because she knew that with him being Alpha, he'd have to associate with the other Skinwalkers. Did she hate him for something that he did? For something that he didn't do? Was she upset with one of his friends?  
  
His brain was flooded with a million questions as he made his way towards the SUV.  
  
Opening the door, he settled himself inside before he began to formulate what he was about to do. Sitting there in the silence of his truck, his mind suddenly understood the imminence of what he was about to do. He was sure that after the conversation he'd find himself flying through the glass window and inevitably hearing his bones crack as he hit the truck with a sickening thud.  
  
Going over the conversation in his head, he prepared himself for the worst.  
  
Turning on the car, he sped off in the direction of the Sheriff's Department.  
  
  
  
TBC . . .  
  
A/N: R&R PWEEEEEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! _,  
  
P. A/N: oh yeah, FOUR more chappies to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	18. Queen

. . . Sweet Dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake; all I own is my mind (and like a couple of pairs of jeans), which is why all the characters suck.  
  
A/N: I hate school. So anywayz hope that V-day was great (it wasn't for me, but the upside was that I found a prom dress!)! Uh, here's some advice I learned that day: Jesus is coming, look busy! ~Bye ^_~ ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!BRING WOLF LAKE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
. . . Sweet Dreams XVIII:  
  
"Hey Donner, there's someone here to see you," Khanin's voice announced on the phone's intercom.  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
A deep chuckle emitted from Khanin before he answered,  
  
"You wouldn't believe it even if I told you!"  
  
A confused look consumed his features as he wondered what Khanin meant. But as soon as the doorknob turned, he understood. The smell of cinnamon, earth and honey preceded him.  
  
"What do you want?" he growled as soon as the door flung open.  
  
He was the cause of all his problems. This young asshole, masking himself as the future "Alpha" was the reason why his daughter was going down a path that would later lead to destruction. He was the reason that all his and Marie's wishes for Sophia would dissipate. He was the reason that everything was eroding. He was the reason why their lives were ruined.  
  
Luke Cates symbolized the ruin of the Donners.  
  
"I needed to speak to you about her," he answered, although fear overpowering his scent, his voice was steady; yet a little weak.  
  
"I don't need any consultations with you about her. You ruined her. You're making her choose when it wasn't a choice before," he spat, "I'm not talking to you about her!"  
  
"You're not talking to her either. Have you seen how much she's suffering? Have you noticed how much she needs you and how selfish you've been to deny her. You're supposed to be her father-"  
  
"That's right! I'm her father! I know what's best for her, so what gives you the right to interfere. What gives you the right to question me at all? All I've ever done was to help keep her safe, and all you've ever done was try to ruin my little girl. You've tried to turn her into one of your little whores! You've tried to make her and mold her into Prestley! You've tried to make her bend to your will and until now, I've been able to keep you away from her. I've been able to teach her the difference between the type of guy that you are and the type that will treat her good, but for some reason you've obstructed that. I don't get it. Why in the hell are you doing this?"  
  
"I love her," he replied, his deep green eyes challenging Donner's.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure that's what you like to tell yourself to rationalize it. You don't love her, you're only infatuated with her. She was a conquest. She didn't want you at first, and that intrigued you. And as soon as you get tired of her, you're going to throw her away with the bathwater. You don't love her, ya' damn hoodlum, you don't even know the meaning of the word!"  
  
"I know that I love her and she loves me. I know that I trust her with my whole being. And I also know that when she Changes, she'll be mine!"  
  
Donner's eyes shot up in surprise.  
  
"Yours! Yours? Do you really think she's going to succumb to becoming part of your harem? So you really think she's going to even want to join the pack?"  
  
"She will," Luke replied, his jaw flexing in defiance.  
  
"Sophia will never want to be tied down to the pack, especially not to you. You're the one that abandoned her as soon as you turned. You're the one that claimed to be her friend, but when it was decided that it was un- cool for you two to hang out, you bailed on her. The pack is responsible for her mother's death. The pack totally shunned her and her entire being after her father decided her wanted to mate outside of his 'kind'. The pack has basically ignored her existence until they realized that she might just Change," he smirked, "You may think that Sophia will put all that hurt past her, and 'love' or should I say lust, would prevail, but that's a hell of a lie! The pack has been the source of her unhappiness since she could remember. Just because you 'think' you're in love with her, doesn't mean she'll give up everything to be with you."  
  
Luke's jaw flexed in anger as Donner's words sank in.  
  
"Hell, she doesn't even trust you!" Donner added bitterly.  
  
Luke's eyes became ablaze with the realization that Donner was right. He'd known all along, he just wouldn't acknowledge it. The reason why she wouldn't respond to him was because she didn't trust him. She couldn't trust him; and it was his fault.  
  
"I'm right!" Donner chuckled darkly.  
  
"She will be mine!" Luke announced turning and leaving the building.  
  
~***~  
  
Brushing her hair into place, she secured it with a band and placed a pin in her hair so that the layers wouldn't fall out of place.  
  
Surveying herself in the mirror, she grinned. She looked really good. Dressed in a black, one shoulder tank, and a cute little denim mini, her long legs were clad in fishnet stockings and cute side buckled, shiny leather boots. Her hair was done in a half ponytail with long curls dancing down her back. Large hoop earrings hung from her ears and a small silver chocker was strung around her neck. Her eyes were rimmed in dark make-up, giving the smoky, wide-eyed appeal. Her lips were painted in a high gloss that was only the tiniest tint lighter than her actual lips. And her cheekbones were dusted with blush.  
  
Scrutinizing her figure in the mirror, she thanked the Moon that Hannah had let her borrow her clothes. Jamie's sister was a god- no, moon- send seeing as nothing fit her very skinny figure anymore.  
  
"Dad, I'm going to the party!" she called as she entered the sitting room where he sat.  
  
Nothing.  
  
"You didn't even say that I could go to this shindig, but you didn't say I couldn't either!" she sang as she stood in front of him.  
  
Nothing.  
  
"Hey Dad, I'm using semantics, you hate that! You say that technicalities are what's wrong with the world and other stuff. I forget 'cuz sometimes I don't really pay attention to your lectures."  
  
Nothing.  
  
"Look at what I'm wearing! Man, I look like I'm going out to work a corner or something!"  
  
Nothing.  
  
"You can't let me out of the house wearing this! I mean what will the police think when they come to arrest me for stripping?"  
  
Nothing.  
  
"All you have to say is stay, and I will," she coaxed.  
  
Nothing.  
  
"You don't even have to speak to me afterwards, just don't shut me out completely."  
  
Nothing.  
  
"Ok, I'm going," she called opening the front door just as Jamie pulled up.  
  
Nothing.  
  
"I wont be back for a week. When I do get back I'm gunna' need the bigger room for my new husband, a biker named Spike. I'm also going to need the nursery because I'll be pregnant with the lovechild of Spike's best friend, Bud. Bud will be living in our house and will . . ." she faltered at the cold, chiseled visage on his face.  
  
Nothing.  
  
"I'll kiss Luke at the party if you don't stop me!" she tried one last time.  
  
Nothing.  
  
"Ok, I'm leaving, bye," she whispered before closing the door behind her.  
  
"How'd it go?" Jamie asked.  
  
"He didn't say a word," she groaned as she settled into the front seat of the car.  
  
"Sorry," Jamie sighed before speeding away from the house.  
  
As they entered "Gold Dust" they were assaulted by the violent scent of alcohol and smoke. Sophia's sensitive senses burned from the poisonous smells as she made her way towards a group of Jamie's friends.  
  
"Hey Jamie," they laughed, "hi Sophia," they smiled politely.  
  
Ignoring their apathy about her being there, she scanned the crowd of teenagers rubbing against one another as the danced, and tried to find a familiar face.  
  
Standing by the wall was Charlie. He looked bored as he mechanically nodded his head to the music and shot fake smiles to people who greeted him as they passed.  
  
"Hey James," she said, interrupting a dry joke, "I'm going to go hang out with a friend, I'll see you later."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Charlie."  
  
"Ok." She smiled before returning to her friends.  
  
Sophia made her way towards her friend, unaware of the leaf green orbs following her every move.  
  
~***~  
  
"Hey man, what's up?" Sean said patting him on the back in a silent greeting.  
  
"What- oh, nothing, just, ya' know, making sure that nobody steps out of line."  
  
"When you say nobody, you mean Sophia Donner?"  
  
"No, when I say nobody, I mean the Skinwalkers."  
  
"C'mon man, you're not that good of an actor. So where is she?"  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he answered, his voice unusually cool.  
  
"Where?"  
  
Following Luke's eyes, he spotted Sophia dancing with an unfamiliar meatboy. She danced and laughed as if she couldn't feel the cold, unblinking glare of Luke on her skin.  
  
"Luke, just give her some time. Everything is moving so fast; she's confused right now. She'll come, don't worry."  
  
"I don't get why it's taking so long for her to see what's in front of her?"  
  
"Well she's not the only one to blame. You're the one who cheated on her. You can't expect her to suddenly forget that and pursue the relationship without caution. If she decides that she doesn't care what happened and wants to be with you, not only will she be giving up her heart, she'll also be giving up her entire way of life-"  
  
"I know that. Damnit! I know that she's sacrificing herself to be with me, everyone has been drilling that into my head. I know that it's got to be her choice, and if she does Change, it's a really big deal. But why in the hell does she have to flaunt herself that way? Why in the hell does she dance with that meatboy in front of my face, telling me that I can't have her! God, I hate her!"  
  
"You love her!"  
  
"Yeah, that too." He groaned pushing his hair away from his forehead violently.  
  
"Man, she'll come around. You just have to wait patiently, and she'll come."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
~***~  
  
Moving with the pounding of the drums, her heart beat simultaneously, swaying in perfect time with the alternative song. As the beats mellowed and the lead singer readied herself for a solemn ballad, a wave of nausea flushed over her, cooling her skin and accelerating her pulse. Doubling over just as the tearing of her stomach began, she cried,  
  
"Charlie, excuse me!" she managed before darting in the direction of the bathroom.  
  
Seeing the huge line of people waiting to get in to the lavatory, she pushed past them all and burst into the small chamber just as a couple was about consummate their relationship.  
  
Barely hearing the strident scream of the girl, Sophia hunched over the toilet, retching the contents of her stomach in the public bowl.  
  
She felt her insides heat up with such an intensity that she felt lightheaded and sunk onto the cold, linoleum tiled floor. Her head rested on the cool bowl, letting the porcelain sooth her scorching skin as she concentrated on breathing.  
  
As she sat there trying to regain her bearings, she could feel the many sets of eyes watching her, wondering what sort of inebriation had caused her to purge. She could hear their many voices whispering outrageous stories, trying to explain why the Sheriff's daughter had heaved the contents of her stomach on the floor of a nightclub restroom.  
  
In moments, she'd lifted herself and emptied her stomach with another wave of nausea anon.  
  
In ten minutes she threw up all the contents of her stomach until she felt herself trying to wretch out the entire organ.  
  
Finally lifting herself on two very shaky legs, she ambled drunkenly past the curious spectators and went in search of Jamie.  
  
In a matter of moments, Jamie found her. Jamie's eyes were wide with the knowledge that the rumor going around the club was that Sheriff Donner's daughter was drunk.  
  
"Jamie, I need to go home," she whispered, holding on to her friend's shoulders in order to remain upright.  
  
"Sophia, what's wrong?"  
  
"I just threw up in the bathroom . . . I think I'm sick!"  
  
"What happen-arrg! Sophia, you're hurting me!" she screamed prying her arms from her shoulders.  
  
"I-" and before she could finish the statement, a flash of snowy white pelt flicker before her eyes before she collapsed to the club's dance floor.  
  
"Sophia, Sophia, what's wrong?" Jamie cried leaning over her friend's limp figure. "Wake up, please wake up!"  
  
Suddenly Luke was by her side. His voice was barely audible as he leaned over her fallen figure and began CPR. As he was pushing down on her breastbone, she suddenly began to convulse beneath him as if she were having a seizure. Beads of sweat rolled down her skin and her body glowed with fever.  
  
"Sophia, Sophia," Luke coaxed softly. "Wake up babe, wake up. I need you. You can't leave now. Just open your eyes and wake up." He urged.  
  
Then, as if a bolt of lightening jolting her awake, her bodice sprung upward, her usually chocolate eyes opened wide- but unseeing- and were dipped in the most vivid shade of gold, almost illuminating her whole being.  
  
"Sean, Sean, get my car ready, we've got to get her to the hospital!"  
  
Before he could reach her, she'd slumped back into a comatose state.  
  
"Hurry the hell up!" he yelled scooping her into his arms effortlessly and carrying her down the parted sea of flabbergasted teenagers- the Skinwalkers following wordlessly.  
  
As they followed the leader, the realization of the moment dawned on them. Sophia Donner was Changing, and Luke Cates, the future 'Alpha' of the pack, was walking away with his mate, their future Queen.  
  
TBC . . .  
  
A/N: hoped you like this one. Sorry it took so long to write, but I've been really swamped w/ homework. I've decided I want to be a freshman again, I never did homework. Plus I had biology, and I had the best teacher ever, Mrs. Blaso. She left the class during our final, and I passed w/o ever opening the book. Ahh! o ^_^ o  
  
P A/N: THREE MORE CHAPPIES LEFT!!!!!!!!!! 


	19. YOU did this to her! Part A

. . . Sweet Dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake, and if I did . . .well, I'd be broke b/c those a**holes cancelled my show! Now I've got to go commit suicide b/c I have nothing to live for. Boo hoo! _,  
  
. . . Sweet Dreams XIX:  
  
"Sophia . . ."  
  
Wave after wave of nausea crashed down over her subconscious, making her body ache as though bruised and beaten. A small voice kept reverberating in her ears, calling her through the liquid darkness of uncertainty. She yearned to grasp the unknown, but found herself immobile; her body searing in protest against her actions.  
  
She wanted to find that voice. She wanted . . . no needed to know to whom it belonged. She didn't recognize it, but somewhere, deep within herself, she knew the voice belonged to someone she knew once upon a time.  
  
"Sophia . . ."  
  
"Who are you?" she asked, struggling to free from the intangible barriers holding her in place.  
  
"Sophia . . ."  
  
"Mom, is that you?" she wondered aloud.  
  
"Sophia . . . you know who I am . . ." the voice replied softly.  
  
"No I don't," she struggled against the ever-intensifying drowsiness threatening to consume her. ". . .Who are you?"  
  
"You know me . . ." the voice insisted, ". . . you've always known me . . ."  
  
"Mom, is that you? I can- I can't remember your voice. I kept trying . . ." she explained, the darkness of unconsciousness lurking just beneath her eyelids. ". . . I kept trying to hold on to it, but you were gone so long, and I was so little . . . I forgot . . . I can't remember it anymore . . . I almost forgot your face until I found your wedding albums in the attic . . . Dad hid everything . . . He's really afraid . . . I can't get him to understand . . ."  
  
"Sophia . . ." the voice replied, its softness never leaving the grasp of the tone, " . . . You have a decision to make . . ."  
  
"I can't . . ." she struggled, the agonizing ache of her protesting muscles, paralyzing her senses.  
  
"But you must," the voice insisted.  
  
Suddenly, the liquid darkness dissipated, leaving a foggy haze in its wake.  
  
Still struggling with the invisible restraints, Sophia noticed that she was lying on the floor of a dusty warehouse. A blaring light rained down on her, illuminating her figure. Studying her surroundings, she noticed two other spotlights, currently illuminating select pieces of floor.  
  
She sensed movement amongst the shadows. She strained her eyes to discern what was causing the disruption, but all she could make out was a slim, cylindrical frame moving closer to her.  
  
"Who are you?" she screamed, her body still protesting her struggles to be free.  
  
"Sophia . . ." the voice replied, its source a mystery. " . . . This decision . . . This decision is going to change your life. Whichever you choose, your life will be different from the other. In both there will be things to regret . . . and things to cherish . . ."  
  
"What are you talking about?" she called, sweat beading down her skin, "What decision?"  
  
The figure kept moving towards her, and as moments passed, Sophia realized it was a person, maybe female . . .  
  
~***~  
  
"C'mon Sophia, wake up," he pleaded, gently wiping off the beads of perspiration with a cool towel.  
  
As Luke sat in the back seat, trying to bring Sophia back to consciousness, Sean sped through the abandoned streets of Wolf Lake in the direction of a house that every Skinwalker had known since birth.  
  
"Wake up babe," he cooed, pressing a soft kiss to her burning skin.  
  
" . . .What are you talking about?" mumbled her limp frame. The small words that slipped her lips were almost inaudible as she struggled between the pain and the mystery of the soft voice.  
  
"We're almost there," Sean called looking back before swerving away from a fire hydrant and speeding towards Blackstone's cabin.  
  
". . . Mom, is that you?" she mumbled, her voice cracked as if she were being pressed under an immense weight, straining for a release.  
  
"Open your eyes baby," Luke called to her, praying to the Moon that she could hear his constant plea and open her eyes, "Wake up."  
  
"How?" she groaned, "It hurts so much . . ."  
  
~***~  
  
As the woman approached, she split the fog and a heavenly glow surrounded her figure, giving her an angelic aura.  
  
"Yo- you- you're not my mother . . ." she whispered, disappointment dousing her like a cold shower.  
  
"No I am not," the women answered, the voice finally claiming a body.  
  
"Who are you?" Sophia asked. Her eyes squinted to fully see the figure standing before her. "You said I knew you?"  
  
The woman standing before Sophia was beautiful. Her long, dark wisps of curls fell about her shoulders and cradled her face. Her skin was tan, a dusty brown, giving her the look those "Abercrombie" girls longed to obtain. Her eyes were a warm hazel with specks of gold, brown, blue and green permeating the iris, and radiating an innocent intensity. Her eyelashes were as dark as a moonless sky, and long enough so that they looked as though they were straining to touch her eyelids. Her lips were the color of rose petals, standing out without the enhancement of lipstick or gloss. Her cheekbones were high on her bronzed skin, making no need for blush seeing as her skin already held that healthy pink undertone.  
  
Her limbs were long and golden brown. Her feminine muscles were well defined as they rippled beneath the thin layer of skin, effectively camouflaging her super-human strength. She was wearing a long white dress, made of a very flimsy material that looked as if it were made from cutting up strips. It was striking how the material draped over her body like another skin, letting her move comfortably and still look gorgeous. Her feet were bare as she stood on the dusty floor and greeted Sophia.  
  
"Who are you?" Sophia repeated, so dead struck on the woman's beauty that she didn't realize the intangible restraints had been removed and she was standing up cautiously to gaze at this woman.  
  
"Names are not important . . ." the woman replied.  
  
"But you said I know you," Sophia insisted, her eyes wide as she gazed into the woman's face, something familiar surrounding her.  
  
"You do, you have known me all of your life. You have known me before you were born. You have known me before you existed. I have been a part of you always . . ."  
  
"What does that mean? I don't want any riddles, I want an exact answer!" she fumed.  
  
"Those answers I cannot answer, but I can tell you this: I am you, and you are me. We cannot exist without one another."  
  
~***~  
  
". . . Sophia, Sophia," he urged, his arms around her limp frame, still coaxing her to awaken.  
  
Suddenly, she began to convulse beneath him. The writhing of her body intensified until she was thrashing wildly, with inaudible words emitting from her frowning lips.  
  
"Sophia!" he screamed. "Wake up!" he panicked.  
  
~***~  
  
At that exact moment, Donner burst through Blackstone's door, probably breaking the hinges, but that was the least of his problems.  
  
Heading straight for the bedroom, he was surprised to find Luke, Sean and Blackstone struggling to get Sophia's limbs tied into metal restraints as she jerked around as if possessed by the devil.  
  
"What the hell's going on here?" he yelled, barely aware that it was he who spoke those words.  
  
"Help us," Blackstone ordered, ignoring the question. Matt may have left the pack twenty years ago, but he'd seen enough flips to understand what was going on.  
  
Immediately Matt was at her other arm, straining to place it within the manacle, ensuring she wouldn't involuntarily hurt herself. He didn't look at her face and ignored her agonizing cries as he wrestled her into place. He couldn't stand to see her back arch off the bed, and hear the earsplitting scream as she felt another wave of pain engulf her scorching hot body.  
  
When they'd finally gotten her clasped down, they stood in the doorway and watched intently as she struggled with herself to Change.  
  
"Can't you give her something?" Luke groaned, his insides ripping to shreds as he watched her body contort as if trying to break free of her own skin. "A shot of whiskey or something? Something to dull the pain?"  
  
Blackstone shook his head, "It will dull the pain and her response. It would slow down the process, and she could be struggling for days, unless it-"  
  
"Don't you dare fuckin' say it!" Donner warned, his eyes flickered dangerously.  
  
"I won't," he breathed, looking away.  
  
His eyes were seeing the little girl who'd raced down the park and skinned her knee. They were remembering the time that she and Luke had found the frog in Wolf Lake and hid it in Ruby and Amanda's room, then lied about it when it was time to fess up. He saw the way her face screwed up when she was about to cry, and pictured every tear that had ever run down her face. Although Sophia wasn't his biological daughter, he'd always seen her as the little girl he'd helped raise.  
  
"What can we do?" Sean muttered.  
  
"Wait, she's got to do this on her own. It's all up to her now."  
  
Luke looked down at her, his heart praying that she'd make the right decision.  
  
~***~  
  
"So, I've got a decision to make?"  
  
"A very important decision."  
  
"So what do I have to choose between?" she asked pushing her damp hair away from her eyes.  
  
Turning her back to Sophia, the woman opened her arms as if to reintroduce Sophia to the warehouse.  
  
"For centuries a form of 'werewolf' - as the Ungulates called them - have roamed the face of the earth. In all the books of old, they were described as shape shifting creatures called 'loup-garou*.' They were powerful, beautiful creatures that hunted with the gracefulness of a wolf, ran as swiftly as the cheetah and sang as sweetly as a nightingale.  
  
"These mystical creatures roamed along side the humans for hundreds of years, sometimes taking on human appearances. But no matter how long they lived in 'harmony' the 'loup-garou' and humans still rivaled. The 'loup-garou' believed the humans were not good enough to associate with them. And the humans felt that the 'werewolves' were dangerous.  
  
"For the few couples that actually made it together, their offspring were too weak to handle the Change, and did not survive. There have only been two hybrids to survive the Change in our history, and you, Sophia, can be the third.  
  
"When your father was about your age, he had everything going for him. He was the future Alpha of the pack, he was a star football player - thanks to his Skinwalker genes - and he was in love with Vivian Adams, the Alpha female. He was an exceptional youth with so many prospects. Everything in his life was perfect until the day that Marie Del Greco walked through the halls of Wolf Lake High for the first time.  
  
"The first day he saw her was the first time that the seed of uncertainty was planted into his mind. For a whole year after, he debated whether he should risk his relationship and status in the pack by pursuing a relationship with Marie. Then one day of his junior year, he and Vivian quarreled, and they parted. The next week Matt asked out Marie, despite the ramifications.  
  
"Soon, the fate of the pack was ruined. Nobody was sure what would happen. The Alpha couple had divided, leaving two irreparable pieces and the male had strayed into the land of taboo- an Ungulate.  
  
"Vivian and Matt tried many times to mend their friendship, but they always ended up fighting. Finally their last and most horrible argument happened just three months before Matt eloped with Marie. During the argument he told Vivian that he was leaving the pack. And she basically told him if he did, everything that ever sprouted from their union would be tainted.  
  
"When your father came back to Wolf Lake with his bride three years later, he found Vivian married to Willard Cates. He later learned that the twin girls- Ruby and Amanda- he'd been led to believe were conceived through their passion were from Willard's previous marriage. When they saw each other, they realized that no matter if they were together or not, they needed each other. So they made a pact, to work together in order help keep the pack safe.  
  
"On one October night, Marie came home and announced that she was pregnant. Matt had sensed it, but dreaded its reality; he wasn't sure how Vivian would take that news. He knew that Vivian was also pregnant, but this was Marie- an Ungulate pregnant with a hybrid- that he had to announce to the whole world.  
  
"When he did, Vivian didn't speak to him for a few weeks, but realized there was nothing she could do about it.  
  
"The one thing that Matt didn't know was that in Vivian's fit of rage, she was right. Their children would be different. You are different. Throughout the entire pregnancy Marie was plagued with bizarre dreams that scared the hell out of her; they were vivid and painful. Although she knew those dreams were because of the baby, she never told Matt, for fear that she'd have to lose the baby.  
  
"When you were born, you often woke your parents late at night with those dreams. Every night of your infancy you were haunted by a white wolf. They never understood what made you so scared of the darkness; that fear lived beneath your skin all your life, dormant. As you got older the dreams subsided, only revealing itself in times of great emotional turmoil, like when your mother was murdered. And then a little over three months ago, those dreams began again at full force, signifying your inevitable Change.  
  
"And now there is a decision to make . . .  
  
"There was no coincidence that you and Luke were born a few months apart. It was not by chance that you two were best friends in you youth or that you grew up together. Since the day your names entered the 'Book of Life', yours have been linked together.  
  
"But you are unlike any other Skinwalker. When pureblood Skinwalkers come of age, they have no choice. They must Change, and if they survive, their lives are already decided. But the blood of man runs through your veins. You have a choice."  
  
Suddenly she turned around and four figures appeared beneath the lights. Beneath the first light were two figures she'd known since her birth. They were as big a piece of her as she was of them. It was Luke and the white wolf that haunted her dreams.  
  
Luke's green eyes gazed at her expectantly. It was as if he believed there was no choice. He looked so sure that she would choose life in pelt. She didn't want to disappoint him, but she didn't want to make this decision solely on him. He wasn't what dictated her life.  
  
In the second light stood her mother and father. She'd never seen her father look so distraught since the day her mother died. He looked so old and worn. His face was creased with age and pain. His eyes, which used to be identical to hers, were dimmed by the trials of life. Bags weighed down the skin beneath his eyes, and his forehead was wrinkled with worry.  
  
Her mother stood beside him, her face more lined than Sophia could remember. Her own blue eyes were twinkling with concern and hurt. Her mouth was twitching in an obvious attempt to hide the frown threatening to release itself. She looked as if she'd been up for hours, like a mother waiting for their child after curfew, imagining the worst. The disapproval was evident in both their eyes. They didn't want her to do this. They didn't want her to give in to the beast. They wanted her to remain as they had, human, normal, or what their world had thought of normal.  
  
They'd had all these dreams planned for her, and if she'd chosen to accept, she'd be ruining everything that they'd worked for. She'd be letting them down if she went through with the Change. If she decided to choose the pelt over the life of an Ungulate, they'd never forgive her.  
  
"Life is about choices," her voice reverberated through Sophia's thoughts, "One cannot truly live and be human without the gift of choice. Yours is simple yet very complicated. Whatever you choose will let down someone that you care deeply for."  
  
"Choose what?"  
  
"Choose between a life in pelt or a life in skin."  
  
Her eyes widened as her fears were confirmed. She had to choose between the life she knew and the life she was destined to live.  
  
"But how? How can I choose?"  
  
"You must choose."  
  
"But what if I can't?"  
  
"Then you will die." 


	20. YOU did this to her! Part B

"I can't," she mumbled, straining against the chains.  
  
"What?" Luke asked.  
  
He'd been sitting with her for two hours. The last hour her convulsions ceased; the only indications of consciousness were the sound of her breathing and her rapid eye movement.  
  
Suddenly, she began to convulse again.  
  
"I can't," she repeated.  
  
"Can't what Sophia? You can do it? You can Change!" he whispered, brushing off the beads of perspiration from her face.  
  
"I can't!" she screamed, her strident voice rippling through the air like a single quivering note of the violin on a lonely night.  
  
"What can't you do? You can Change; you've got to Change!" he pleaded, tears streaming down his cheeks.  
  
"What happened?" Donner asked bursting into the room seconds later.  
  
Dashing the rogue tears from his cheeks, Luke replied, "She keeps mumbling that she can't."  
  
Donner looked down at his little girl, asleep like she had as a baby, fitfully. Except she wasn't a baby. The smears of lipstick, eye shadow, and mascara weren't the markings of a child. The torn fishnet stockings and the combat boots, coupled with the miniskirt and the tank were definitely, NOT, childlike.  
  
"You're going to have to take off her clothes," he mumbled, his voice so low it was barely audible.  
  
"What?" Luke asked, this time raising his eyes towards Donner.  
  
"When she Changes, she can't be trapped in those clothes. She's going to pass out and we don't want her to suffocate."  
  
"I can't-"  
  
"Well you're going to have to," Donner snapped turning to leave, "When you hear me coming, just throw on a blanket."  
  
Luke watched with silent marvel as the door closed behind Donner. Even though this was the one thing he didn't want for his daughter, he was still willing to treat her like his most prized possession.  
  
He let out a heavy sigh as he slowly lifted himself. Seating himself down at the foot of the bed, he began to unlace her boots.  
  
~***~  
  
DEATH.  
  
Would that become of her? Would she wither up and die, lying forgotten in a cemetery like the hundreds of other Wolf Lake teens who'd gone through the same ordeal? Would anyone remember her, save for her father, who once had a daughter?  
  
"I know what you are thinking," the woman said eerily, "but you are wrong. All of the teenagers buried in that cemetery are nothing like you. None of those young men and women had human blood. None of them suffered for three months. None of them had the choice of whether they wanted to Change or not. All of them were pure-bloods. It was in their ancestry. They had to Change, you my dear are different . . .  
  
". . . You have the choice. They could not Change for they were not strong enough, but they never had a choice. In their world, they must Change, or die trying. The weak cannot survive in this world, and this is the Moon's way of deciding."  
  
"Then why won't the Moon decide for me? Why does She make me choose between everything I've ever known and everything that I can be? Is it for kicks? Is She that bored? Why can't I be like the others? Why can't I have my life chosen for me in the big book? Why do I have to be different?"  
  
"- Because your parents chose to be different. They chose to defy the 'Book of Life' and to fight for the love that they shared. They chose to take charge of their lives, rather than accept what is destined for them. They chose to be the type of people they wanted, not the type that was expected. Your parents truly deserved to be happy."  
  
"Then why did you let her die? Why did you ruin our lives? Why did you take away our hope? He needed her! He loved her more than life itself. He fought to be with her his whole life, and when he finally got it, YOU took it away! YOU stole her from us! She wasn't yours and YOU took her! We needed her. . ." She screamed, falling to her knees.  
  
"You also needed to grow up your own," the girl whispered, her long form leaning down to her eye level, "You needed to understand what your parents sacrificed for you. You needed to learn what it felt like to be so in love that you couldn't live without someone . . . you needed to learn what life was about."  
  
~***~  
  
"Sophia, wake up please . . . I need you . . ." he whispered, his forehead pressed against hers firmly, and his tears falling to her cheeks.  
  
"Sophia, wake up baby . . ." he cooed softly, brushing her now unruly hair from her face. "I need you to be with me. I need to know that you're ok," he whispered. "I need to know that you'll wake up."  
  
"Luke . . ." a voice slightly above a breath murmured. "Luke . . ." it said again, a soft cough followed it.  
  
He looked into her eyes, which were still closed, and her lips were slightly parted. She was mumbling. She was mumbling something that he couldn't comprehend.  
  
Moving his ear to her lips, she breathed through her lips and finally understood.  
  
"Luke . . . he needs me . . . he needs me, but I can't . . . he won't . . . he won't love me . . . he needs me too . . . can't you see? He has no one . . . he's by himself . . . I am all . . . but he needs me . . ."  
  
*What is she talking about?* he thought. *Who was she talk-*  
  
". . . He loves me . . . he asked me . . . he can't survive without me . . . I love him . . . I love you . . . he doesn't want- he's scared . . . I can't leave him . . . I can't ch-"  
  
He understood.  
  
"Sherman!" he yelled, wiping away his tears and sitting up.  
  
In mere seconds, the pounding of four sets of footsteps halted at the doorjamb.  
  
"I need to get in," he said turning back to her visage, still contorted in pain and glistening with sweat. "I need you to help me . . ."  
  
"Luke, no!" Vivian cried, almost feeling his frustration on her skin, "You can't do this! She'll survive, don't do this!"  
  
"Mom, she needs me. She can't choose, she doesn't understand . . ."  
  
Sherman strode to his side, pushing back his sleeves, he kneeled beside Sophia. Placing a finger to her temple, he let the warmth that emitted from the point wrap around his finger and crawl up his arm until it reached his mind's eye, letting him feel. Reciting the ancient words of lore, he was just about to place another finger to Luke's temple when a flash of her dream crashed into him. Letting his other hand fall away from Luke, he let her dream grasp on to him, and he realized what Luke couldn't.  
  
This wasn't about Luke or how Sophia didn't want to Change. This was about Matt and how he didn't want Sophia to Change.  
  
Suddenly, as if an electrical current had escaped her subconscious, he ended his connection with her by pulling away as if he'd been bitten.  
  
"What the Hell are you doing?!" Luke yelled, seeing Sherman jerk away.  
  
"This isn't about you, Luke," Sherman answered, his volume identical to Luke's.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"You have nothing to do with this!" Sherman answered, then his eyes swirled back to Matt. "The reason why she doesn't want to Change isn't because she's afraid of the Change, she's afraid of what happens after. She's afraid that her father won't love her, won't accept her, won't look at her if she survives.  
  
"She's afraid of disappointing her dead mother. She's afraid of letting her father know that she can choose for herself. She's afraid that when it's all done, she won't have anyone there to help her," tears began to well in his eyes, "She's afraid to be the person she was destined to be!"  
  
Donner stared into Sherman's grey-blue eyes. He saw the anger darkening the orbs to an almost black.  
  
Donner's own eyes began to well with tears, the reality crashing down on him as huge waves of grief.  
  
"Sherman, I-"  
  
"Your daughter is going to die!" he yelled. "You're only daughter is going to die for you! She's been arguing with her mind, her instincts for- hours- wanting to please her FATHER! She's been fighting against her fate, afraid that her father will leave her; that he won't understand. She's afraid of the wolf- afraid of herself!  
  
"You taught her that! You taught her to hate the wolf, make her hate who she is! She's your whole world, and now she's going to die for YOU!"  
  
"No!" Luke yelled, springing up to attack Donner, but fortunately Vivian had calculated the attack and held him back, fiercely.  
  
"How in the hell can you do that? Everyone told you! Everyone warned you! And now . . . now she's going to die! I love her! I love her you Sonuvabitch**!" Luke bellowed.  
  
"I'm sorry," Donner cried, looking away from the three pairs of eyes that glittered upon him with contempt.  
  
"You don't have time to be 'Sorry,'" Sherman spat, "We don't have time to cry over her. You need to get back in there, and tell her it's ok. You've got to tell her that you want her to become what was written of her. She needs to know that you love her, no matter what skin she's in."  
  
Closing his eyes, Donner reached deep within and did something he'd never done before: he asked for help.  
  
~***~  
  
"You said . . ." Sophia began, her brown eyes glittering with unshed tears, "You said . . . when I was little, I was haunted by dreams of a white wolf . . . Why?"  
  
"It was a harbinger to your inevitable Change," she answered, her hazel eyes piercing Sophia's.  
  
Turning around, she looked into the eyes of the beast standing before her. Her hazel eyes stared back at her with a simple intensity that she'd never seen from this animal before. For the first time since her eyes rested on them, she didn't see the look of contempt consuming her features. For the first time, the beast was less animalistic; it was more human, aware. She looked back at Sophia with an understanding that Sophia had yet to understand. For the first time, their two worlds- an endless chasm apart- emerged and became tangible. She could reach out and feel what the wolf felt. She could taste what the wolf tasted. . . she understood.  
  
"Who is she?" she asked, already knowing the answer.  
  
She already knew who the being standing before her was. Standing before her on four legs- white paws, fangs, with pelt and tail- was she. The being with hazel eyes and a muzzle was what she would become. The stark white pelt was hers, the defined muscles were hers, the sharp fangs were hers, and the bushy tail was hers; this being in its entirety, was-  
  
"You," a quiet voice answered.  
  
Whirling around, Sophia looked into the eyes of the voice's owner, for it wasn't the woman. Instead, her own father stared back at her, his face creased with worry.  
  
"Dad," she breathed, not trusting her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his brown eyes glistening with tears.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"Your mom wouldn't want this. She wouldn't want it to be like this!" he groaned, pushing the tears from his eyes.  
  
"Well she certainly looks like it!" Sophia responded, the sarcasm dripping from her lips as she waved her arms to indicate the woman standing in another pool of light, holding on to Donner and shaking her head.  
  
"That's your subconscious's view of your Mom. She wouldn't think that about you. She never wanted you to deny who you are. She never wanted you to give up on what you wanted. She only wanted you to be happy. . ."  
  
"Then why did you tell me all my life that she would be upset with me?" she frowned. "Why did you make me think that I was tainted?"  
  
"Because I screwed up; I left that world. I chose to leave that world, and I couldn't handle the fact that my only daughter- the offspring of the one person that could take me from that world- wanted to be a part of it. I was bitter. Bitter at Vivian, me, even your mother. I didn't want to admit that maybe that world would be good for you. I didn't want to admit that maybe the world that I had tried so desperately to escape, was the world that would make my daughter the happiest. I didn't want to think that the world that killed my wife would also name my daughter their Queen . . ."  
  
"Daddy, I'm scared . . ." she whispered, wiping the stray tears from her cheeks.  
  
"You don't have to be, honey," he answered, encircling her in his arms and letting her bury her head in his chest.  
  
"But it hurts so much. I want so much for you to be happy. I want . . . I want you to understand. I want you to love me . . . when this is over, I want to be able to crawl into your arms and for you not to flinch," she sniffled, her words almost inaudible as she moved closer into his chest.  
  
"And I want my little girl to be happy. I want her to fall in love, even if it's with that vagabond, Luke, because I know that she's got this great mind, and won't let herself compromise. I know that my little girl has to grow up, and to tell you the truth, you couldn't have chose a better mate than Luke, no matter how much stress he's caused me."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"I've known Luke since he was in diapers. I used to bathe both of you together. I know that he seems like this total asshole, which yesterday I would never deny, but he loves you."  
  
"I love him," she answered.  
  
Reaching around and removing her arms from his waist, Donner looked down into Sophia's eyes. He watched as her eyes opened wide, as if asking him what he was doing. Slowly he pulled away from her, placed a kiss to her forehead and into her ear he whispered,  
  
"Then go tell him."  
  
She was falling, falling through the air, and suddenly, she crashed into her body. In a moment her blind eyes flung open and her body raised from the bed, gasping for air.  
  
She was trapped in a cotton prison, thrashing to fill her lungs with air and although her eyes were opened, she couldn't see anything.  
  
If she could, she would find her legs not two, but for, her skin not smooth but covered in a pure, white pelt, and her mouth in a muzzle.  
  
"Luke, help her," she heard her father order.  
  
In moments, she felt hands rip the material from her body and finally, her lungs filled with air.  
  
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" her curdling scream split the air on one single, solitary note.  
  
She could hear frenzied movement before she felt someone stroke her brow and say in a soothing voice, "Shh, close your eyes. You won't be able to see for a few moments, your body still has to adjust. Shh," the voice cooed, and after many moments she heard Vivian, "just lay there, don't move. I know it hurts, but don't worry, it'll soon be over. You don't have to go through this again," she whispered pressing a kiss to Sophia's forehead.  
  
Letting the warmth wash over her in comfortable waves, Sophia gave up, and passed out.  
  
~***~  
  
"Hey," she heard Luke whisper, amidst the murky darkness.  
  
Reaching consciousness, she began to panic and began to struggle against herself trying to find him.  
  
"Calm down," he whispered, stroking her hair, "Calm down babe, I'm right here. Don't worry, I won't leave you."  
  
"Luke," she rasped, her throat burning intensely with just that one word.  
  
"Hey," he said, she could hear the smile in his voice, "how are you doing?"  
  
"It hurts," she managed, before taking a gulp, hoping to sooth the inferno erupting in her esophagus.  
  
"It hurts to breath?" he interpreted, "Yeah, just wait, your body's healing from the Change."  
  
Her eyes flew open as her torso raised from the bed. She saw the grin on his face and her eyes slammed into his green ones.  
  
"Chang-" she began but was interrupted.  
  
"Yeah," he grinned placing a kiss to her temple, "You were beautiful. I can't wait to run with you."  
  
Her wide eyes gazed into his as she took in the information.  
  
"Hey, calm down," he whispered, helping her back to the lying position she'd just awoken from. "You remember how that night after my Dad died, you said you loved me?"  
  
Looking up into a kaleidoscope of greens, browns, blues and golds, she nodded.  
  
"Well, you being a Donner and all, you wouldn't let me tell you how I felt," he smiled pressing a kiss to her forehead, "I love you."  
  
Tears sprang into her eyes and she looked away.  
  
"Hey, don't be upset," he whispered, misinterpreting her tears.  
  
No, she shook her head, her eyes still not meeting his. She could feel the disappointment swimming in his eyes which were now glistening with tears. She wanted him to know she wasn't sad, she loved him back, but it hurt like hell to say.  
  
Finally, after many long moments of silence, she looked him right in the eyes and said,  
  
"It's not you . . . it's just . . ." the tears began to fall down her eyes in lazy rivers, " . . . it's just that I'm . . . I'm naked!" she laughed.  
  
When the words registered in his head, he began to chuckle along with her, his head leaning down to meet hers as the tears sparkled in both their eyes.  
  
There were many long moments of quiet laughter between the two before their eyes met in a heated gaze, and suddenly, the hilarity of the moment was forgotten.  
  
The sweet poetry of the moment was intensified as he leaned down and gently grazed his lips with hers. Then, softly he brought his lips to hers, and carefully began to nip at her lips, making the fire within her intensified as something rose within her, filling her with something she'd never felt before. She raised her lips to meet his, capturing his lips in a breathtaking kiss that was only broken when air was imperative.  
  
Slowly, their lips loved each other that night, taking in their new love as if selecting an expensive wine; savoring their passion for one another.  
  
TBC . . .  
  
A/N: The word 'loup-garou' was taken from Annette Curtis Klause's "Blood and Chocolate" page 12. No copyright infringement intended.  
  
P. A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long. I really am. _, I just hope at least this one lived up to expectations, or was even better. It was very hard for me to finish this one, but the last two chapters won't be this long in the waiting (I've already started Chpt. 20).  
  
P.P. A/N: *About Ruby's sister, like I've said from the beginning, I've never actually seen an episode. In fact, I didn't know that Ruby had a twin or that Vivian wasn't her mother until my amig, Lou, informed me (Thanx Lou! o ^_^ o ). And, that other person, thanx for giving me her real name.  
  
P.^3 A/N: **Also Sonuvabitch, J.D. Salinger's spelling (Catcher in the Rye author), so if it's like copywrited (oh, new word!) or something, I just needed a quick and easy way to spell it. So, no infringement intended.  
  
P.^4 A/N: R&R please, I haven't felt the joy in happy reviews that haven't begged me to update in awhile, and your input in crucial to my writing. So please, review!  
  
W/ Luv,  
  
Yo-yo 


	21. Chpt 20: Prophesy

. . . Sweet Dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf Lake, wow, I heard the biggest step was to admit your problem, but after that admittance, I'm not sure I want to be cured! Give me back Wolf Lake you bastards!!!!!!!! It was good and you cheapened it!!!!!!!! BRING WOLF LAKE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
. . . Sweet Dreams XX:  
  
The darkness wrapped around her naked form like a baby blanket, caressing her curves. A soft trickle of wind slowly danced over her skin, making her spine tingle in ecstasy.  
  
The sky was a burst of black velvet, with a splash of silver glitter. The Moon was an open face, craters and lines creasing her visage as she smiled upon their bodies.  
  
The soft tinkling of children's laughter bounced off the trees and reverberated in her ears, along with the pounding of paws on the earth and the lone cries of wolves in the distance blended to form the cradle of peacefulness that surrounded them. She could feel the lush bed of grass beneath her, the tiny points, gently stabbing her back, giving her a sense of contentedness as if acupunctured. His hands rubbed her side from hip to thigh, leaving a pleasant heat in their wake. She could still taste him on her tongue, the softness of his kisses, combined with his soft caress on her skin sent a pleasing moan through her throat.  
  
"We should start heading in, the children have school in the morning," she whispered as a firefly flew above her body, leaving a small speckle of light on her skin.  
  
"Mmmhmm," he moaned placing a kiss on her shoulder, but making no movement to actually stand.  
  
They stayed tangled together for many long moments, wrapped in the beautiful silence as the breeze cooled the air around them.  
  
The person lying beside her grew cold.  
  
"Do you want to go in now? Are you cold?" she whispered softly, finally noticing that his hand had stopped its path down her side a while ago.  
  
No response came.  
  
"Would you like to go home now?" she asked, placing her hand on his.  
  
She realized, she couldn't feel his breath caressing her skin, or feel his heartbeat thumping against her back, or hear his rhythmic breathing in the soundtrack of the night.  
  
Turning slowly, her eyes grew wide at the sight of his eyes closed peacefully as if asleep. His skin was ghostly pale and cold, his joints stiff as she lifted his arm from her. Looking at the grass beneath him, she realized the earth was drenched in liquid. Touching it cautiously with her fingers, she sniffed it and gasped.  
  
He was dead.  
  
-  
  
"Aaahhh!" she jolting upright.  
  
Her eyes flew open and revealed her surroundings. When she found four walls, a desk, dresser, easel and her bed, she fell backwards, groaning at the vividness of the dream.  
  
"Shit," she groaned throwing her coverlet from her body and stepping out of the bed.  
  
Her first two finals, Algebra and Chemistry, were happening in six hours, and she couldn't sleep. The experts said it was imperative to get at least eight hours of sleep before a major exam, and she hadn't had ONE since the night she'd Changed.  
  
Ever since that night, she'd woken up to dreams of a different sort. Instead of waking up from a horrible nightmare where she was dying, she kept dreaming that Luke was.  
  
Pulling on a pair of scuffed trainers and her WLSD hoodie, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and climbed out the already opened window. The only way she was going to get any sleep was if she made herself physically exhausted, and the only way to accomplish that was by going out for a run.  
  
Taking off into the Wolf Lake woods, her senses awoken, introducing a whole new world to her. It was a tapestry of colors: greens, browns, purples, blues, blacks, golds and silvers. It surrounded her like a blanket, filling her nostrils with the familiar and comforting scent of rain and earth. If she only could live in one place for the rest of her life, she'd never leave the security and beauty of the canopy of trees in The Cove.  
  
Halting when she finally reached her destination, an old, fallen, rotting tree trunk, she let her mind drift into oblivion. When she began to free herself from the confines of her clothes, she could feel her body tingling with that familiar want. It boiled in her blood, seared her veins and relaxed her muscles. The warmth in her belly rose throughout her whole being as she felt the familiar popping of her joints transforming and the bittersweet pain of her back breaking as she keeled over onto the ground. In moments the pain receded as quickly as it had come, leaving a pleasing warmth in its wake.  
  
She pawed at the earth beneath her; her human instincts had crumbled with her human body, leaving only her animalistic impulses. Suddenly, she dashed away, skirting between trees, dancing in the moonlight and chasing small animals.  
  
This was when she was alive.  
  
When she was just a normal girl, she never understood the lure of the forest or the temptation of the wolf. She never knew how the night revealed such an attractive world that only a select few are ever granted entrance. And now, these were the times that she relished. She savored the sweetness of each night, bathed in the glow of Moon's kind face and danced in the inviting lake.  
  
"Aaaaaahhhhhwwwwhhhhoooooooo!" she barked to Moon, paying her respects. And in a moment, she was off again, reveling in the feel of the night.  
  
~***~  
  
"Sophia, time to get up," a voice called through her door.  
  
Almost simultaneously, her alarm jolted awake to Nine Inch Nail's "Closer."  
  
"I'm up, I'm up," she groaned. For the second time this morning she threw the coverlet from her body and climbed out of bed.  
  
While stumbling almost drunkenly into the lavatory, she grinned to herself. A couple of nights before Luke had danced with her to that song, his voice resonating throughout his being as he stood close to her, his voice emphasizing the words, "I wanna' fuck you like an animal, / I wanna' feel you from the inside!"  
  
Sure, his words were graphic, but strangely gratifying at the same time. And with the way his hands splayed across her body, gently touching and caressing her scorching skin, she couldn't help but admit that she too wasn't far from that thinking.  
  
Turning off the taps of the shower, she ambled into her room in a towel. As she dried herself off in front of the mirror, she couldn't help stare at her naked frame.  
  
Ever since the night that she'd Changed, she couldn't help stare at herself. She knew she'd be different, she knew she'd somehow change too, but she didn't expect what she got- so fast.  
  
The night after, when she finally slept in her own bed, she'd awoken to a dream juxtaposed of the dream she'd experienced while she was Changing. When she woke up, she went to her full length mirror and was shocked at what she discovered. The young woman who'd led her through the dream wasn't some unknown stranger; she was Sophia herself, after the Change.  
  
Her eyes had transformed into an intense color of hazel, with flecks of blue, gold and green lingering around the pupil. Her skin had lost its unhealthy color and was now honey brown and glowing. Her body was now enveloped in lean muscle, rippling beneath the thin layer of skin, giving her the appearance of a dancer.  
  
She was beautiful.  
  
And everyone had noticed. Luke couldn't keep his hands off of her, not that he didn't have that problem before she flipped. And all the male Skinwalkers were more aware of her. They watched her as she walked down the halls and smiled at her as she passed by. They were definitely emitting pheromones that she couldn't say she didn't sense.  
  
Everyone in the school noticed the change in her attitude. She was more confident, less intimidated and less distracted what everyone thought of her. They had noticed the change in her appearance also. They marveled at the way she held her head now, high. She didn't hold her head like Prestley did, daring anyone to challenge her and making them feel inferior, instead, she stood as a Queen; beautiful and proud.  
  
"Sophia, you're going to be late!" Donner called through the door.  
  
"I'm coming out," she called, snapping back to reality.  
  
Quickly drying off, she pulled on a pair of blue flannel pajama bottoms and a baby blue tank top. On her feet she slipped on some flip- flops and pulled her wet hair into a messy bun atop her head. She may have been Miss Popular now, but that wasn't going to distract her from her grades. The next three days were going to be the most stressful days of her junior year, and she was going to make sure that she could at least dress as comfortable as possible for them.  
  
Grabbing her bag, she stuffed some pre-sharpened pencils into her bun and headed towards the kitchen.  
  
"Hey Dad," she smiled making a beeline straight for the fridge.  
  
"Are you going to work after finals today?"  
  
With her head buried deep within the fridge, her words came back a bit muffled, "Yeah, later. I'm going to come back, study and then head off to the diner."  
  
"Would you like me to pick you up after work?"  
  
"Uh, no thanks. . ." she answered emerging from the cool appliance, a bowl of strawberries in her arms.  
  
"How's Luke?" he asked turning to look at her.  
  
"Dad," she asked taking a bite of a huge strawberry, "do you remember a couple of months ago you asked me if I wanted to stay at the diner all summer?"  
  
"Yeah," he answered, accepting the change of subject.  
  
"Well, you said something about a day camp in Worthington," she began, pushing a strand of wet hair from her eyes. "I was wondering, does that offer still stand?"  
  
"Uh, I'm not sure. I'll call them today and tell you when you come home."  
  
"Thanks," she smiled going to the table.  
  
"Sophia," he asked, coming beside her, "what happened?"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Luke, for some reason you don't want to talk about him. What happened?"  
  
She turned her eyes from his. "Dad, we're going to be late."  
  
"Sophia?"  
  
She let out a sigh, "Dad, I don't want to talk about it. I just- I need some time to think. Now can we go? I really don't want to be late for Algebra. Ms. Avery won't let me into the class if I'm late."  
  
"Sure," he replied lifting himself from his seat and grabbing his keys.  
  
~***~  
  
Entering the courtyard, she could feel everyone's eyes on her. In a short span of two weeks, her social status at Wolf Lake High had escalated from a recluse lame-o to their Queen. She was stared at in the halls, worshipped in the classes and slandered in the lavatories. She was everything every teenage girl wanted to be, and yet every moment made her cringe.  
  
He was sitting at his usual table, where all the Skinwalkers usually assembled during their lunch hours. Amongst him sat the most powerful beings of the pack, their heads together as they discussed classified Skinwalker business.  
  
Making her way across the square, she ignored the looks of awe, spite and uncertainty. Instead, she stared into the most beautiful pair of green eyes she'd ever seen. She let their beauty hypnotize her, sending her on a beautiful wave of bliss as she gazed into the eyes of her beloved.  
  
"Hey," he breathed as she stood before him, her eyes locked in his.  
  
"Hey," she replied, reveling in the feeling of being so close to him and knowing that he was hers.  
  
Untangling his limbs, he lifted himself from the picnic table, therefore bringing himself still closer to her.  
  
Her eyes closed in his proximity. Whenever she was so close to him, she found herself drowning in a sea of Nirvana; one so deep that she was afraid she'd never get out, but one so beautiful that she begged the gods she'd never leave. She breathed in the clean scent of him, cinnamon, cologne and earth- the scent she'd just recently discovered- and felt herself being drawn back into the plethora of emotions that she found herself, as of lately, being consumed in.  
  
Then, his lips were on hers, gently brushing against the soft skin, coaxing her for a response. It didn't take long for her body to awaken to the sensation, and take control. Within moments her lips had pressed against his, and she could feel his hands snake around her waist and pull her against him. Soon her hands had traveled up his arms, past his shoulders and circled around his neck with one lost in the folds of his hair and the other dancing across the muscles on his back. The kiss had deepened so quickly that she soon felt herself loosing control and when he bit her shoulder sharply, she couldn't contain the moan that escaped her lips and fueled their passion.  
  
His lips traveled up and down her neck, making her emit guttural sounds as he played her aroused flesh like an expensive instrument. Every move that he made was calculated, every touch that he gave was created to give her pleasure, as if made exclusively for her; as if he was born just to fulfill her.  
  
His lips traveled back to hers, and soon he had her backed against a tree, for both of their legs had gone weak and there was no other way that the other would remain standing without the support.  
  
When breathing became imperative, their lips broke apart and their foreheads rested against one another's. Her eyes opened, loving the feel of him pressed against her so intimately.  
  
When he'd decided that he'd had enough breath, he leaned in again, never once opening his eyes, and began to playfully nip at her lips.  
  
Then, a glimpse of her dream flashed before her and she pulled away as if being burned.  
  
"Wait," she breathed.  
  
"What?" he whispered, not bothering to stop his endeavor.  
  
"We need to stop," she replied, her voice calm.  
  
"Why?" he groaned, finally opening his eyes to look at her.  
  
"This wasn't why I came?"  
  
"Came where?" he groaned, with his blood still in southern regions, thinking was like trying to teach Brittany Spears to count.  
  
"Here, to see you."  
  
He didn't say anything for a while, trying to get his bearings and understand what was she talking about. For many long moments he watched her, she looked anxious as she stared back into his eyes.  
  
"Why did you come to see me?"  
  
"We need to talk."  
  
"What about?" he whispered tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.  
  
She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the cool touch of his fingers on her flaming skin take over her thoughts. When she opened her eyes again, she wasn't surprised by the huge smirk on his face as he noticed her reaction to his touch.  
  
"About us . . ." then she looked up and noticed all the inquisitive stares, "but not here."  
  
"What about us needs to be discussed?" he asked, not liking her response to his last question. When a girl said she needed to talk, that was usually bad. But when she decided they needed a discussion on their relationship, there was definitely no good to come out of that.  
  
"Somewhere else," she hissed, her eyes opened widely as if he'd just revealed the secret of the century.  
  
"Why?" he asked, his lips playfully nipping at her neck.  
  
A sigh escaped her lips as she felt his hot breath on her skin, wishing that he would just take her their and their inevitable conference would be delayed until a much later time. But of course he didn't kiss her, and she forced herself to answer.  
  
"Because," she groaned, "everyone's looking at us. I need to talk to you alone."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"My room; my Dad's at work." She proffered, never once thinking of the way his mind worked.  
  
"Ok." He grinned, taking one of her hands in his.  
  
~***~  
  
"So," he grinned, leaning towards her from his seat on the bed, "what did you want to talk about?"  
  
"Well," she sighed, turning away from him. Ruffling back her hair, she looked down at her pajama pants and tried to recollect the speech she'd recited in her head that morning.  
  
"Well," she began again, "I like you . . ."  
  
A nervous giggle escaped her lips involuntarily as she strained to control herself, ". . . but you know that. Of course you know that," she repeated ruffling back her hair again, "You've known that since I was twelve and gave you a black eye for telling Sean that I was your girlfriend . . ."  
  
He watched her as she realized the anxious way she'd began ruffling her hair and instead, she resorted to gesticulating wildly with her hands.  
  
"Ok, what I'm trying to say is that I love you . . ." she smiled brightly, "yeah, I love you. And that you also know. I told you the night your father died, and you told me you reciprocated those feelings the night I Changed . . ."  
  
She looked at him now, seeing the way that he calmly observed her jumpy gestures and quietly let her talk.  
  
"I guess," she began, but was stopped by Luke rather than her this time.  
  
"Honey, calm down. There's nothing that you can say that could make you so scared right now. I'm not going to hurt you; you know that- so what the hell is wrong?"  
  
He'd grabbed a hold of her hands, so she wouldn't wave them nervously.  
  
Taking a deep breath, she looked him in the eyes. After a few moments, she began, much calmer and firmly.  
  
"I guess it began the night that I Changed. Ever since we started high school, I was forbidden to hang out with you and we couldn't be friends and we just couldn't . . . BE with one another. But then the night of the Change, everything just fell into place. I was the white wolf, you loved me, my Dad approved, everyone was happy . . . and then I started to get the dreams."  
  
He looked at her, confusion tainting features as he watched her watching him. She looked scared. She looked scared and guilty; as if she'd done something really wrong.  
  
"What dreams?"  
  
"Bad dreams. Like the one's before I was Changing, except . . ." she paused for a moment collecting her thoughts, "except they had nothing to do with the wolf . . . they were about . . . are about us." She concluded.  
  
"What do you mean, about us?"  
  
"Every night, since the night I'd Changed, I've woken up to dreams . . . nightmares about us. It always starts out innocent enough . . . us together and all- but it never ends that way . . ."  
  
"How does it end?" he whispered, noticing the tears that welled up in her eyes as she looked away from him, reliving the horrible dreams.  
  
"With you . . . with you lying . . ." she mumbled inaudibly as she took her hands from his grasp and fiercely wiped away the tears.  
  
"Me lying?" he whispered. "Honey, I would never lie to you," he whispered, misinterpreting her words, "I know I'm experienced, but wolves . . . we mate for life. I could never leave you, I love you."  
  
"I know," she groaned, her head on his shoulder, but her eyes turned away from him. "I know you'd never cheat on me . . . but . . . my dreams . . . my nightmares aren't about you cheating on me."  
  
"Then what are they about?"  
  
"They're about me waking up one day to find you dead." She stated.  
  
He stared at her, their eyes collided and he saw the way hers opened in fear. Tears shimmered in her eyes.  
  
"Can you repeat that again?" he asked after ten minutes silence.  
  
"They're about me . . . waking up one day to find you dead," she repeated.  
  
"Why?" he breathed.  
  
"I don't know . . . but it haunts me every night. I can't go back to sleep afterwards . . ." she sighed.  
  
"Is this-?"  
  
"I can't do this!" she blurted.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I can't do this, I can't be like this!"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I can't wake up every night thinking that you might be in mortal danger. I can't have that fear pulsing right beneath my skin everyday. I can't keep praying that today you'll come back to me in one piece. I can't keep thinking that someday our pups won't have a father. I can't do this."  
  
"Sophie, I could die tomorrow-"  
  
"Not helping," she sang.  
  
"I mean, I could die of natural causes at any time. Life doesn't guarantee me any amount of time on this earth-"  
  
"And you have a greater chance of an early grave because you're going to be the future Alpha! I don't know how your mom dealt with it, and I don't know how my dad did, but I can't do it. I'm not like them, and I . . . I just can't."  
  
"Sophie, what are you saying?"  
  
"I'm saying . . . I'm saying that I love you . . . but I can't . . . I can't do this."  
  
"Can't do what?"  
  
"I can't be with you. I can't be with you and feel these things, and love you and I can't keep waking up to your dead face on the ground. I told you once, I don't think I could ever recover if you broke my heart again . . . and I know I can't."  
  
"I don't get it . . . you're breaking up with me for something I didn't do . . ."  
  
"Luke, don't get mad-"  
  
"Why shouldn't I get mad? My girlfriend is leaving me because someday I might die! Well guess what? You're going to die too! And I'm not freaking out about that!" he yelled, jumping from his seat.  
  
"I'm not leaving you or breaking up with you . . . I'm just putting us on a break. I need us not to be together for awhile."  
  
"What?"  
  
Pushing her hair from her face, she looked away.  
  
"I need to think. We can't be together until I know what I want . . ."  
  
"But Sophie, I love you . . ."  
  
"I love you too, but I'm confused, and I think its best if we just called it quits for awhile. I don't know if I can be with you . . . and I need to know what's causing these dreams."  
  
"Sophie . . ."  
  
"Luke, can you leave now? I've got to study before my shift at the diner tonight. Tomorrow is Art and English and I'm really having a rough time remembering the days in which Picasso cheated on all his girlfriends and the names of his like fifty-six children. But I'm having no problem remembering what year he got prostate cancer and had to get his little pee- pee cut off," she smirked thoughtfully.  
  
"Yeah, I'll see you whenever," he sighed pushing his hair back, "bye." He groaned leaving.  
  
~***~  
  
"Sophia, see ya' later . . ." a little blonde girl smiled, waving her goodbye.  
  
"Bye Brooke," she waved back, watching the little girl climb into her parents' car.  
  
That was the last of them. It had been a month since the talk she had with Luke and hadn't seen hide nor hair of the guy. And here she sat on a deserted bus bench waiting for her chariot to carry her back home to Wolf Lake.  
  
Ruffling around in her bag, she produced her CD player, complete with her Avril Lavigne CD. When Jamie had first bought it, she didn't want to listen to it, sure that all the news surrounding the girl was all hype. But after she'd listened to the CD a couple of hundred times, she realized that some things that this Canadian said was cool.  
  
Turning on the player, she immediately skipped to her favorite song, Anything but Ordinary.  
  
"Sometimes I get so weird, / I even freak myself out, / I laugh myself to sleep / It's my lullaby. / Sometimes I drive so fast, / Just to feel the danger, / I wanna' scream it makes me feel alive.  
  
"Is it enough to love, / Is it enough to breathe, / Somebody rip my heart out, / And leave me here to bleed. / Is it enough to die, / Somebody save my life, / I'd rather be anything but ordinary please. . ."  
  
Suddenly a loud honking noise disrupted her revere.  
  
Looking up, she found herself face to face with none other than Sean. He was driving a large, cherry red corvette with chrome bumpers.  
  
"Yo', Sophia."  
  
"Yo' Sean," she countered, pushing her hair from her eyes.  
  
"Need a ride?"  
  
"No thanks, my knight in shining armor is scheduled to come in another, ten minutes."  
  
"Well, the way you've been treating him, I don't think he's gunna' come back."  
  
"Who are we talking about? Sam the bus driver or Luke?"  
  
"Guess?" Sean asked, raising a brow.  
  
"Sean, I really don't feel like getting into it with you. I get that you're his best friend, but it's my choice, and I don't need your help." She groaned.  
  
"Turn off that damn Avril and get in."  
  
"Wow, with an offer like that, how will I ever turn you down?" she replied sarcastically.  
  
"Well, unless you want to stay here an extra hour, I'd get in. It seems your knight in shining armor needs a new transmission and the wait is an hour, so if you want to stay . . . "  
  
"I think I'll stay," she answered, hoping he was lying.  
  
"Sophia, get in the damn car," he demanded, finally loosing his cool.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I actually want to talk to you. And you're making it really hard for me to stay civil."  
  
"Why do you want to talk to me?"  
  
"Because once upon a time, we could actually be civil to one another without withering stares. I feel nostalgic and I want to revert to that time."  
  
"Ok," she groaned opening the front door and settling into her seat.  
  
He shifted the car into drive and sped away.  
  
"So, our civilized conversation . . ?"  
  
"He misses you."  
  
"I miss him back." She replied.  
  
"Why did you break up with him?"  
  
"I don't know," she groaned pushing her hair behind her ear.  
  
"So you just broke up with him on a whim?"  
  
"No, I broke up with him after freaking out. I kept dreaming about him dying, and I couldn't handle the fact that, hey, someday, he might just be. I freaked out. I was scared, am I not allowed to have human emotions now, either?"  
  
"No, you're allowed to feel, in fact, our race strives most on instincts. But you could use more logic. Luke never wants to hurt you . . . so why in the hell would you hurt him?"  
  
"God Sean, it's not like I was trying to hurt him. I love him with all my heart, but you know that sometimes, you aren't meant to be with the guy you fall in love with . . . and maybe I just need time to dwell over that statement. I love him, but I don't know if I can be with him."  
  
"Sophia, do you have any idea how much he loves you?"  
  
"I have an idea . . ." she drawled.  
  
"Do you know that when you are in the process of Changing, there are ways to speed it up?"  
  
"No?" she asked, looking up at his profile, just as they passed the Welcome to Wolf Lake sign.  
  
"Well, there's a prophesy that says when you're Changing, you can do something in order to speed it up."  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Well, the prophesy says, 'In the heat of passion, bones shall be crushed, hide shall be torn, body will shatter, and life will begin.'"  
  
"I don't get it."  
  
"Just ponder it," he smiled stopping at her house.  
  
"Thanks for the ride," she whispered, her brows knit in concentration.  
  
"Whatever," he answered.  
  
TBC . . .  
  
A/N: hey guys, I know this has taken some time, but I was on a roll today and last night and finally finished this, although I really don't think this is one of my better chapters. I hoped you guys liked it at least, seeing as it's you who have to read it. Please e-mail me and tell me what you think. I'd be very pleased to know.  
  
ONE MORE CHAPPIE LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
W/ luv, Yo-yo 


	22. Chpt 21: Fighting Fate

Sweet Dreams -By Yo-yo  
  
Disclaimer: The day I own Wolf Lake will be the day Jonathan Jackson returns as "Lucky" on Gen. Hosp., Britney Spears dies, and Colin Farrow and I get married, all simultaneously. So, basically, I don't own Wolf Lake, and I never will.  
  
A/N: This is the last Chapter in my Wolf Lake series and I must say, it's been a pleasure. I have never had so much fun writing about characters, and I have never ignored so many teachers, classes and liturgies as I have for this fic. I will not continue "Sweet Dreams," but I may publish a couple of short stories if the inspiration arises. This is the first fic I've ever finished . . . the first story ever actually, and I'm happy to say so far, this one is the one I'm most proud of. I know I haven't even seen the show, but I must say, I've connected with these characters in a lot of ways.  
  
Ok, now I'm stopping the mushy stuff because frankly, I'm not that type of girl. So I want to thank any and everyone who's taken the time to type a review and tell me how they feel and ask me questions. I want to thank everyone who's e-mailed me either politely asking for another chapter, or have demanded it of me, along with a couple of death threats (u know who u r!). I'd like to thank everyone who's read this fic, even if they haven't reviewed, because that's what I write for, other people to read and identify with. So thanks for everything. ~ Yo-yo  
  
ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BRING WOLF LAKE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Sweet Dreams XXI:  
  
Sex.  
  
The simple three-lettered word had consumed so much of her thoughts that she was forced to stay in her room for two weeks. The only times she'd left were for work and food.  
  
Pushing back a lock of hair, she stepped away from the canvass she'd previously been hovered over. She still had no idea where she was going with it, and wasn't even sure of what had developed. All she knew was that this painting had disturbed her far more than anything she'd ever done.  
  
Standing to the left of the canvas was a young girl. She was naked as her body folded over as if she was carrying some immense weight. Her long limbs looked battered and bruised, her hair, limp and dirty, her body looking crumpled. She looked as if she'd been beaten by life, her entire being was broken, her spirit gone. She ambled in darkness. To some it could be construed as an alley way, where the dregs of society lived, expressing her defeated look. To others, she could be in a corner, searching for a way out, but never finding one. To others, she was simply lonely, no one there for her, no one there for her.  
  
Sophia stared into the soul of the naked girl, knowing- feeling her pain. She wasn't lost in an alley way, she wasn't hovering in a corner, she wasn't lonely . . . she was afraid.  
  
She was afraid of the world that spanned out before her. She was afraid to look forward. She was afraid to fulfill her destiny. She was afraid of someday being alone.  
  
And the darkness in the background sealed her fate. For like she, the girl could not go back. The doors of destiny had long been opened for her, and for once in her life, she'd taken a step forward and entered. But now, she could not go back. She could not stay huddled in that world where everything was easy and everyone protected her. She could not simple blame her naïveté on everything now. She was now an adult, soon to be leader of the pack . . . her responsibilities lay with her people now; she couldn't be to herself anymore- she belonged to her people.  
  
Ever since the conversation she'd had with Sean, she'd felt her whole world tilt out of orbit. For weeks now, it was as if she were in a Mobius strip, spinning round and round until it lost a link. Everything in her life seemed to be different. She felt as if she'd never seen before, as if the whole world was new to her.  
  
For weeks after work she'd stop by Sherman's house, picking up and returning books. She studied the books of lore, searching amongst their depths for the prophesy.  
  
And she found it.  
  
"'In the heat of passion, bones shall be crushed, hide shall be torn, body will shatter, and life will begin.'"  
  
For several days, she poured over large heavy bound volumes. She stayed up long nights trying to uncover the meaning behind the words. And then finally, she understood.  
  
During her Change, the girl from her dreams- the future Sophia (or at least the post-flipped Sophia)- had told her that she and Luke hadn't been thrown together by accident. From the day they were both conceived, they'd been written in the great book together. They were meant to be together . . .  
  
. . . They were mates.  
  
The prophesy explained, that if someone had found their true mate, before the Change, then there would be an easier way to pass from human to wolf. If a Skinwalker had truly met the one they were supposed to be with, then their love would carry them threw the fire licking pains that lay so close to actual death. If they were truly meant for one another, then the joining of their bodies would carry them safely through the transformation from mortal to mystical being.  
  
And that brought her back to the same word that had been plaguing her all week.  
  
Sex.  
  
From the age when she could finally comprehend the word sex, and what it actually meant, she'd never known it to be something good. Sure, she remembered the whole, "When two people love each other, they take a special nap, and nine months later there's a baby." But from the world today, she'd never heard anything to suspect it was "special."  
  
Girls came to school pregnant, their bellies hanging out of their shirts as they trudged to their classes, pale and puffy-eyed from the excessive crying and incessant morning sickness. Boys came to school, snickering about the girl they'd had the night before, splaying to everyone the "details." Students cried in the stalls, words like crabs, syphilis, and herpes being flung around as they wondered what to do. Boys buying an access of condoms, planning to use them on any girl who'd let them. Words like AIDS and HIV hurtled through the school like an epidemic, tacking on names of who was alleged to have it and who was allegedly spreading it.  
  
And she knew it wasn't as glamorous as Hollywood made it out to be. It wasn't sweet and beautiful. It wasn't something that you'd want to remember for the rest of your life. People ran home crying afterwards. Girls bled, screaming, not understanding what was happening.  
  
In the world that they were in, sex was never good. It wasn't like it was supposed to be. Nobody loved anyone anymore. No one cared. It was about having sex and moving on. It was about getting what you were after and leaving after you'd gotten it. Sex was a game teenagers played. Not caring if someone got hurt, not caring if they actually loved that person. It was a game . . . a game that meant nothing in the end. It was a game that only resulted in heartache; a game that ceased to show people as superior beings above the rest, but merely animals who wouldn't listen to themselves. It was a game that people played when they ignored their hearts, believing that an empty life can always be filled with an empty fuck.  
  
And she knew . . .  
  
She may have never had sex, but she knew.  
  
She remembered the night a year ago when Jamie had climbed up her window at two a.m. with tears running down her face. She remembered the way she bawled on her shoulder for hours on end, wondering what the hell she had just done. She remembered the summer of depression when Jamie didn't even leave her bedroom. She remembered the way Jamie had described what had happened that night, and the way she looked so defeated.  
  
Just like the girl in the painting.  
  
But it wasn't as if the guy was mean to her, or as if she didn't love him that had made her cry. It wasn't like he'd hurt her afterwards or simply left. It wasn't as if he'd rolled over and fell asleep on her. It wasn't like he didn't press kisses to her face, and whisper sweet nothings into her ear. It wasn't how bad she'd bled that night, how much it hurt, or how uncomfortable it felt between her legs during and days after. It wasn't anything.  
  
And ever since then, Jamie had sworn off sex. She understood first hand what it was like, and she knew that she wasn't ready for it.  
  
She placed her brush in its handle and slumped down on her bed.  
  
All her life she'd heard these horror stories about sex . . . but every once in awhile there were these magnificent stories about love. How it sustained people, even after they were gone. How it brought people together and bounded them in something incredible. How it revealed some of the most sacred powers of humans.  
  
Pushing her hair back, she fell back in her bed and cried.  
  
Luke was supposed to be her mate . . . He was supposed to be the one she'd share her body with. He was supposed to be the only one that ever got to see the most intimate parts of her-  
  
And yet, he'd slept with myriads of women before she came along. He was one of those people that bragged about "lays"; he was one of those people she could never imagine herself being with.  
  
It seemed everything that they'd ever done could only be special to her. He'd done it all already. Hell, he'd done it so many times, she was sure, that she wouldn't even faze him. She would just be another girl to him, no matter how much he tried to convince her different. Because in his world, she knew, she could never be different. It ceased to exist any longer. She would simply be the last.  
  
Tears rolled big and fat down her cheeks as her heart broke. She had wished for so long to find that someone that she could share everything with, and in the end, the person best for her was someone already used . . . already broken.  
  
~***~  
  
She exited the large bus and took a deep breath. She'd just spent the day trying to teach thirty girls to swim, and she could feel the beginnings of a migraine threatening to reveal itself.  
  
Adjusting the strap of her bag, she began walking towards the diner, her stomach growling with hunger. As soon as the tingling of the damn bell, she could feel all eyes on her.  
  
She ignored them and made a straight line to the counter where Kit was wiping down the counter.  
  
As soon as Kit looked up, a smile curled her lips.  
  
"Hey Sophia, long time no see."  
  
"Yeah," she smiled politely, "work has been keeping me busy. Take my advice, don't ever have kids, they were only created to get on other people's nerves."  
  
"Oh, I know, my sister is on number four." Kit grinned. "So, what would you like?"  
  
"Uh, double cheeseburger, extra rare, no tomato, with mayo, no ketchup. Uh, fries and vanilla milkshake." She smiled, pushing a lock of frizzy hair back.  
  
"Ok," she smiled writing it down, then turning to the cook.  
  
She could still feel eyes on her. She could fell them on her skin, grazing, probing, looking within her for something she knew not. She would bet 20 bucks they were Skinwalkers.  
  
Turning, a smirk appeared on her lips as she mentally gave herself a twenty. As she studied the group of kids that were studying her back, her eyes collided with a beautiful pair of green orbs.  
  
Blinking, she felt her face grow hot.  
  
She never expected him to be there. He was supposed to be helping his mother at the firm all summer. She hadn't seen him since the day she'd asked them to take a break. When she saw him next, she wanted to at least be prepared. She wanted to at least know what she wanted to say to him, and maybe even let him know if she had made up her mind.  
  
His eyes never left hers, and hers never strayed from his. He just sat there, arms over the shoulders of Prestley and Brianna, staring. She stood there, arms clutching the straps of her bag, staring.  
  
She'd almost forgotten how green his eyes were. She'd forgotten how their different facets changed in the light, a plethora of colors swirling in them. So green that they seemed to shimmer gold, like a sour apple at times. Other times, they were sun-kissed, making it hard to distinguish them from an ocean blue. When he was angry, his eyes were a dark unpronounceable color that could only be called black.  
  
She'd forgotten how he looked at her. The way that his eyes seemed to beckon her; she'd forgotten seeing that unmistakable look in his eyes that she still couldn't comprehend. She'd forgotten the power they had on her, making her feel as if she would kill herself if he didn't touch her right then and there.  
  
Her pulse quickened as she remembered the way his lips felt against her skin. The way they softly caressed her, pressing kisses to her pulse points, making her want to jump from her skin. The way his fingers trailed along her scorching hot skin, her muscles jumping, flinching, clenching beneath him; a hot- something growing beneath her belly, urging him to continue. The way he brought her up against him, pressing her tightly to his warm, tight, hard body, cradling her from the outside world, letting a small tremors run through his frame as her lips begged him not to stop. The way she could feel his need for her, gently nudging her in the belly. She could feel it hum slightly, flinching whenever she touched him, growing whenever they kissed. . .  
  
"Sophia . . ."  
  
She remembered the way his tongue entered her mouth, first hesitantly as if asking for permission. When her own tongue touched his, he immediately entered, groaning as hers slowly ran down the length of his, gently sucking. She remembered the way he explored her mouth, touching, caressing, moaning, never letting their passion overtake them; always letting her feel his need, taste his love- haste never an issue. She remembered the way his fingers slowly crept up her thigh, slowly making his way towards her-  
  
"Sophia!"  
  
"What?" she started, whirling around to see Kit looking at her as if she'd grown an extra head.  
  
"Your lunch, it's ready."  
  
"Oh, thanks." She smiled.  
  
If Kit had been a Skinwalker, she would have not only smelled, but also felt her arousal. Glancing back at the table, she sighed at the knowing smirks and glaring eyes. Placing her money on the counter, she cast one last glance at Luke before leaving the diner.  
  
As soon as the warm air smacked her body, she almost wished she was in that horrid, chlorine laced swimming pool, with sixty flailing kids, screaming at the top of their lungs.  
  
"Hey Sophia," she heard a voice call behind her.  
  
She stopped. She knew exactly who it was.  
  
"Hey, Sophia," Luke said, running up behind her.  
  
"Hey Luke," she smiled politely, pushing her hair away from her face and turning to him.  
  
"How've you been?" he asked, putting his hands in his pockets and looking down at his Chuck Taylors.  
  
"I've been fine," she replied, mimicking him.  
  
"I haven't seen you in awhile," he mumbled, "I meant to call."  
  
"Yeah," she said, looking up at his blond hair. "I didn't think I'd see you here. I thought you usually work this time of day."  
  
He looked up at her, his eyes colliding with her brown ones. "Mom gave me a day off. I haven't been outside of the Bat Cave in a long time."  
  
"Yeah, the working world will do that to you."  
  
"So, I heard you've been borrowing some books from Sherman?"  
  
"Yeah, just looking up some stuff . . . 'bout the white wolf and all."  
  
A smile climbed up his face. "You forget, I can always tell when you're lying."  
  
Groaning, she smiled disarmingly.  
  
"I was looking up some prophesies."  
  
For a few moments, they stood in silence. The only noise came from the two cars that sped past.  
  
"So, how has your summer been so far?" he asked, raking a hand through his hair.  
  
"I reek of chlorine, so not so good. How 'bout yours?"  
  
"My mom is showing me the strings. It's boring, but I've had a few days to catch a tan and hang with Sean."  
  
"And grown a goatee." She smiled, tugging a little at his facial hair.  
  
"You like?" he asked, his eyes reading hers.  
  
"It looks good on you," she smiled. "Shame you're going to have to shave it off for school."  
  
He didn't say anything for a moment. He closed his eyes as she touched his goatee, liking the rough, prickly feel of it. He instead, relished the soft, barely there feel of her fingers on his skin.  
  
She could hear . . . feel the way his breath escaped his lips. It was heavy, his heartbeat quick, his eyes closed. She knew why he was silent, and all she wanted to do was press her lips against his until his lips begged her not to stop.  
  
His eyes fluttered open as she took her hand away.  
  
"Yeah," he breathed.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I miss you." he said, his eyes burrowing into hers.  
  
"I miss you." she smiled sadly, not taking her eyes from him.  
  
"Well," he cleared his throat, "I've got to get back . . . I'll see you soon?"  
  
"Yeah," she smiled, "ya' wouldn't want the brat pack to actually think for themselves."  
  
"Cute," he forced out a few soft chuckles.  
  
"Well, I'll see ya'." She said, turning.  
  
"Yeah," he whispered. "Wait."  
  
"Wha-?"  
  
And suddenly he captured her lips  
  
His lips moved over hers in a slow, sensual movement. In moments, her hands traveled up his chest and wrapped themselves around his neck, her fingers playing with the hairs on his nape. Running his tongue along her upper lip she allowed him entrance. The contact of their tongues cracked in the air, like lightening. While he played with her mouth, tasting every inch of her, his hands began to work also. Pulling her to him, his fingers began tracing circles on the small of her back.  
  
He was drowning in a see of delirious bliss.  
  
Feeling his hands on her and his tongue running along the length of hers, she moaned, missing the feel of him. The feeling of every part of his body in contact with every part of hers was making her knees weak. She allowed her hand travel along his chest and abdomen and upon hearing him moan, she smiled against his lips.  
  
Luke moaned as he felt Sophia's hand exploring his chest. Ever so slowly, he started to withdraw from the earth shattering kiss, and he brought his lips to her neck.  
  
Sophia let out a small whimper as she felt his mouth leaving hers that turned into a moan as se felt his lips on her neck.  
  
After placing one last kiss to her lips, he pulled away, groaning at the loss of contact.  
  
"Bye," he whispered, leaving.  
  
She didn't say anything as she watched him go, she wasn't even sure if she remembered how to walk. All she knew was that the kiss was mind- blowing and if he ever did that again, she wouldn't be able to leave him no matter what.  
  
~***~  
  
She couldn't sleep.  
  
Hell, after the kiss Luke had given her, she couldn't even eat.  
  
God, he'd felt so good, pressed up against her like that. All she wanted to do was to rip open that stupid red shirt he wore and do ungodly things to his body. She'd never wanted him as much as she did at that moment. Lust had coursed through her veins, down her limbs, singeing her fingertips.  
  
Pushing the coverlet from her, she knew what she had to do.  
  
~***~  
  
The French doors flung open, draping the dark room with a warm brilliance.  
  
He looked up.  
  
There she stood: his angel. Her slim figure stood silhouetted against the bright sky. A smile played at his lips as he noticed the light outline her features just as they had the night he'd realized that he truly loved her.  
  
Feeling his eyes on her, she whirled around. Dropping her arms to her sides, she let a small smile tickle her features.  
  
The long white, simple silk dress she wore clung to her in all the right places, accentuating her every curve. On her feet were simple, yet exquisite white beaded sandals. Her long, brown hair cascaded down her bare shoulders, caressing her. Running along her forehead and disappearing under her wavy hair was a thin silver band.  
  
He couldn't get over how beautiful she was. How perfect she was, and how his she was. His angel, he'd deemed her, being reminded constantly why that title was true. Everything about her was so pure and innocent, as if she wore borne of a lily, never leaving the confines of her home until he finally found her.  
  
The silence between them was comforting, it had always been.  
  
He was so amazed that it was he who claimed her heart. It was he who'd not long ago professed his love to her and promised to give himself willingly and utterly. It was he who'd placed the ring on her finger, never releasing her eyes. It was he who'd placed the kiss softly on her lips, sealing their covenant and their fates.  
  
"You're so beautiful." he whispered, breaking the silence.  
  
Suddenly, he felt a tiny, sharp rock being pelted at him.  
  
"What?" he groaned, waving away the rock.  
  
"Luke," someone hissed from outside.  
  
"Prestley, go home, I love her."  
  
"I'm not Prestley, and you better not be with her!"  
  
"What?" he muttered, realizing that he wasn't asleep.  
  
"Luke!" the voice came again, followed by a few small rocks that stung as they made contact with his naked chest.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" he groaned, jumping from his bed and to his window.  
  
Standing beneath his window was Sophia. Her long hair was rumpled atop her head, as if she'd been tossing all night. Her blue and white tank top and boxers with little monkeys were wrinkled. She wore no shoes on her feet, but from the way she stood, on her tiptoes, he was pretty sure she'd already regretted that decision.  
  
"Sophia, what the hell are you doing here?"  
  
"I need to talk." She groaned, catching a glimpse of his naked chest. "Help me up."  
  
"Just go to the front door," he said, wiping his eyes of the sleep. "I'll open it."  
  
"And put on a shirt," she mumbled, turning, but he'd caught it.  
  
When he returned at the door, he came complete with a wife beater and boxers.  
  
"So what made you come to my humble abode at," he checked his watch, "four thirty in the morning?"  
  
"You wouldn't have sex with me."  
  
"Huh?" he asked, his eyes bugged. In all his seventeen years, that was one thing he'd never expect her to say.  
  
"You wouldn't have sex with me." She repeated.  
  
"Ok. I hear the words, but I don't understand what they mean." He said as if talking to a three-year-old.  
  
"When I basically threw myself at you the night your dad died, you said no. You said . . . well, you wouldn't have sex with me."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So," her eyes grew wide. "So, you totally didn't take advantage of me. I always thought that's why we were together. You respected me and you didn't want to hurt me. Then I find out from Sean that in order to speed up the Changing process, all we had to do was have sex-"  
  
"Sean told you this?"  
  
"Well, he recited the prophesy, I looked it up and realized what it meant. But you wouldn't have sex with me."  
  
"We've established that." he said scratching his head as he led her upstairs to his room.  
  
"I kept trying to figure out why, and I don't understand. I mean, you knew of the prophesy, you had to. You knew that if we were mates, it would have worked. You knew that I was suffering far worse than any other Skinwalker- ever! And yet you wouldn't have sex with me!"  
  
"Sophia, I didn't want to do that."  
  
"And why not?"  
  
"I didn't want our first time to be about you trying to Change. I needed you to actually know that I loved you, that there was actually something there before we mated. I wanted you to really love me back."  
  
"I told you I loved you that night."  
  
"And I tried to tell you the same thing. Look, Sophie, I do love you. You can't ever doubt that, but I would never make your first time like that. Even though it's supposed to spare you the pain of the Change, it does actually hurt and for the girl- a lot. I didn't want to put you through that. I didn't want you to think I had ulterior motives."  
  
"I really hate you, ya' know."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Do you know what it's like being with you? Being apart from you? It's like I'm suffocating! There's no breath in the room, except that escaping your lips. All I want to do is press my lips against yours and share your breath forever! I'm afraid." She finished with a sigh.  
  
"Afraid of what?"  
  
"Afraid of being with you. Afraid of being with you as I've never been with anyone else. Afraid that you'll hurt me, afraid that you'll be you, afraid that you'll . . . I don't know, I'm just afraid."  
  
"You know I'll never hurt you, right?"  
  
"Yes, but I know you'll hurt me unintentionally. I know that something's going to happen and you won't be able to control it. I know that I can't be special to you the way you'll be to me-"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Luke, you've been with half the damn town, and frankly, that part scares me the most. Not because of the damn diseases, not because of the fact that I know you'll be comparing me to-"  
  
"Sophie-"  
  
"What scares me the most," she interjected, "is the fact that I won't get to be your first. I won't get to be the one you remember always. When we're done, I won't be the one you stay up all night long thinking about, I won't be the one that you'll be worrying about. I won't be the girl that you're panicked over wondering if you actually satisfied her. I won't be the girl that gets to take a piece of you, as you get a piece of me."  
  
"Is that what you think?"  
  
"That's what I know. I know that I love you, and that I want to be with you always. But I don't want to be like every other girl that's had you. I don't want to be like every other teenage girl walking down the halls. I don't want to come out of this with these huge scares both outside and inside. I don't want to be like everyone else."  
  
"And you aren't like everyone else, haven't you gotten that yet? You're the only person in my life that I've never had to wonder how they got there. You're the only person that I've ever sat up with, for several nights, just to make sure they're ok. You're the only person that I've ever taken to the cove. You're the only person that I've ever uttered the words 'I love you' to. You're the only person that I've ever loved so much that I've cried over. You're the only person I wanted at my Dad's funeral. You're the only person that I want in my bed. You're the only person that I've ever truly wanted to make love with. You're the only person that I ever will make love to.  
  
"You were right. I wouldn't have sex with you. I would never have sex with you. You mean far more to me than a quick fuck. Whenever I get you in my bed, I will not have sex with you . . . we'll be making love. I'll be giving up my heart, my soul, something I have never trusted another human being or Skinwalker with in my entire lifetime. I will be giving you every piece of my essence. I will be laying completely vulnerable, just for you . . . only for you. When we mate, it will be my first time. I am a virgin."  
  
She didn't say anything for a moment, her eyes locked into his. In fact, she'd barely even heard him. Instead, she'd felt him. She'd felt his sincerity, his commitment, his love radiating off his skin, touching hers, caressing hers. And she knew that everything he said, was.  
  
The next thing they both knew, they'd crashed against one another, each seeking the others lips, melding passionately.  
  
She was just about to press butterfly kisses to his jaw when she heard him breath,  
  
"Run with me."  
  
"Huh?" she groaned, his fingers playing against her aroused skin.  
  
"Run with me."  
  
And before she could respond, he'd broken away from her and began stripping. When he was completely naked before her, which didn't take to long, he looked back at her, an amused smirk on his face and an attractive brow raised.  
  
But as she took in his entire physique, she realized, that it wasn't only his brow that was raised. His erection stood proud, beautiful beneath a thatch of blonde curls. He really had worked on his tan because right now, everything was nice and golden brown . . . EVERYTHING.  
  
"Could you turn around," she groaned, looking away. "I find the way that you leer at me very disconcerting."  
  
He chuckled lazily as he made a show of turning around.  
  
He knew she was aroused from the way her breath quickened at the sight of him undressing.  
  
Pulling off her clothes, she could hear the familiar sound of bones cracking and shifting as he flipped. Then suddenly, she was naked, and on all fours, staring into the hazel eyes of a wolf.  
  
And they were off.  
  
Two wolves danced down the streets of Wolf Lake, chasing and gently nipping at one another, their love undeniable. They entered the dismal forest, unaware of anything around them as they plunged deeper and deeper, their bodies fumbling over one another, their muzzles colliding an innumerable number of times, gently licking one another. And finally, they stood under a canopy of trees, completely enveloped in their own world.  
  
The two wolves gazed at one another, heat rising within both their bodies. They moved closer to one another. There was a tangle of limbs, as they wrapped themselves in one another, and soon became flesh. In moments, they couldn't have stood up if they wanted, not knowing where one began and the other ended.  
  
His fingers touched her, igniting a flamed that burned so deep and brightly within her, that she thought she might explode. Ever part of her was touching him. Every part of her craved his touch, craved his caress, craved him . . .  
  
They made love to one another in the cove, gently exploring one another and displaying their total and utter devotion in the most intimate way possible. They didn't need a priest to bless them on an alter, or the Alpha to announce to the pact of their coupling. The piercing of the air with their combined screams as they marked one another was ceremonious enough.  
  
THE END (FINIS)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!  
  
P. A/N: So, I want to thank you for reading. Yes, the ending was a little disappointing, but like I said, I've never finished a long story, ever! Also, I can't write an NC-17 fic because I'd rather not, plus it'd sound way too mechanical and that's always bad. So hope you like this. And please, e-mail or review and tell me how much you liked it. I'm very happy that you've taken the time to read this.  
  
P.P. A/N: If anyone wants to write a good, lime, because I don't want the end too graphic, if anyone could write a good ending, I'll repost it and give credit to whomever wrote it. Well, if you want to, my e-mails on my profile, but e-mail me the ending, don't just post it. Thanks.  
  
w/ luv, Yo-yo 


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